Finding Clementine
by Sicksam123
Summary: Set after 'The End'. Jack is buried. Three years after Ajira 316 lands safely in Guam, Sawyer's daughter is taken resulting in his reunion with Kate and eventually his unwanted return to the island. Some Kaire but main focus is SKATE. Please R&R.
1. Prologue

**This is my first fic, and this chapters not too bad but later chapters will have violence and sex etc. Feedback would be great and criticism is fine if it's constructive. This is more of a prologue and the main story really only starts in the next chapter. **

* * *

Desmond opened his eyes and took in a deep breath. He was still alive. He was bruised, bloodied and his consciousness was all over the place but he was alive.

"Hugo…" called Ben. Hurley rushed over. "He's awake"

"Dude, are you okay?" Desmond did not answer. He was staring curiously at the bright green tree branches above him, waving slowly, almost in a rhythm. Hurley leaned over him. "Desmond!"

"…Water," he croaked, finally returning to reality. Ben passed the dirty oceanic water bottle to Hurley, who filled it with clear water from the stream by his side, just as Jack had done 30 minutes earlier. Desmond gulped down the water quickly and once done, let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks brotha," he said, sitting up slowly. His back and neck were paining like Hell.

"What happened down there?" asked Ben. Desmond strained to remember what exactly had happened at the bottom of the waterfall, at the heart of the island itself. He glanced at the cave a few feet away, where the bright light of The Island's powers had previously shone. It was once again radiating a golden glow, confirming what Desmond had hoped.

"By the looks of it, Jack saved The Island." Suddenly there was a loud noise in the sky, causing the trio to jump. For a moment they thought that something had gone wrong, and that The Island was once again in danger of destruction. But looking upward, they saw that it was actually a plane- Ajira 316.

* * *

Claire leaned on Kate's shoulder, snoring softly. Kate's eyes, which were aching from all the tears she had shed that day, were fixed on The Island through the thick, grimy plane window. Jack was still down there somewhere, but whether he was alive or not, she could not know for sure. Miles unstrapped himself from his seat and walked down the plane aisle, until he reached the cabin, where Frank was sitting, keeping an eye on all the controls.

"Hey Frank?"

"What is it Miles?"

"I was just wondering how far you'd thought this through exactly?" Frank didn't fully understand the question.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I mean, where are we gonna land for example?"

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but we've probably got enough fuel to get to Guam. It makes sense, cos this plane was heading there in the first place anyway."

Richard meanwhile, was watching The Island, which had been his prison, for hundreds of years, disappear into the distance. He could not have been any happier at his freedom.

* * *

Back on The Island, Rose and Bernard were fixing the wooden shelves of their large cabin, which had collapsed during the chaos that had occurred earlier.

"Have you seen Vincent?" asked Bernard.

"I think he went off in that direction, honey." Replied Rose, pointing into the bamboo forest nearby.

"Vincent? Come on boy, over here…" The golden Labrador emerged from the trees, tongue hanging, panting, as always. "Good boy, that's it," but Vincent suddenly turned and ran off again. "Wait! Vincent!" Bernard ran after the dog, passing a tree from which a shoe was hanging. Soon he came out into a small clearing. The body of Jack Shepherd lay motionless, covered in dry blood on the ground as Vincent pulled at his trouser leg, trying to wake him up.

* * *

That evening, Desmond, Hurley, Ben, Rose and Bernard gathered around a hole in the ground which had been dug out especially to hold Jack's dead body and now did.

"Hugo, would you like to say a few words? You knew him best." Said Ben.

"We all should say something. But I'll go first."

Hurley stepped forward and thought for a moment. In those few seconds, there seemed to be utter silence as he picked the most fitting words for the funeral.

"I first met Jack on the day of the crash. He saved me and Claire from when the wing fell down and he was saving a whole bunch of other people.

When Boone swam out in the ocean to save Joanne, he almost died then but Jack saved him. But he wasn't happy because Joanne still died.

He wanted to save everyone. He found us water and he was our leader and he needed to fix stuff.

Sure, he totally tried to nuke The Island, but when that didn't work, he saved it from the smoke monster." He was now crying again. He paused. He was never much good with words.

"He was an awesome friend. And the last thing… the last thing he told me… was that I should protect the island. And that he believed in me."

As the night went on, each person spoke in turn of how Jack Shepherd had effected their lives.

Ben recalled the life-saving spinal surgery, which Jack had performed on him after being captured whereas Desmond spoke of more recent events involving details of how Jack had replaced the cork of the island.

Rose started off by talking about her life being saved by Jack on the day of the crash and went on to describe the development of Jack's faith.

Bernard finished off the evening by saying that he wished he had known Jack better, by which time, the sun was peaking through the trees and the rest of the morning was spent burying Jack. His story was finally over. He was in another place, a happy place surrounded by all the people he cared about…


	2. The Ajira Six

**Well here is the second chapter, it's longer than the first.**

**Thanks to Jao-Mcknight and Kitty for the feedback!**

* * *

When the Ajira 6 arrived in Guam, they became even more famous than the Oceanic 6 had been when they arrived back on the mainland. No-one quite knew the details of what had happened.

5 of the Oceanic 6 had been in a second plane disappearance causing theories about terrorism to emerge.

When Ajira flight 316 finally touched down a few weeks later containing only a couple of people that had been on it when it took off with some others who hadn't, everyone was expecting some answers, but before the media could get anywhere near them, a company called Widmore Industries whisked them away and would constantly ensure that those who asked questions were silenced with a large wad of cash.

The entire story was kept completely under wraps.

* * *

Penny didn't know what she was playing at.

All she wanted was her husband to be with her and their son and instead, she was spending thousands of dollars via her father's company, cleaning up after the Ajira 6, who were leaving a trail of unanswered questions behind them.

She sighed and rolled over in her bed- but it was no use, she simply couldn't sleep. She switched on the bedside lamp and sat up. She picked up the photo frame on the table and stared at the picture it contained. It was of her and Desmond standing in front of a warm dock scene with palm trees in the background.

What most people didn't know was that moments after the photograph was taken, the couple had split up and did not fully reconcile until Desmond escaped The Island on New Year's Eve in 2004 with the Oceanic 6. The Oceanic 6 were easier to help as _they_ had not minded speaking to the media, even if they were lying through their teeth.

Thankfully though, the Ajira passengers had gone their separate ways in the 2 weeks since they had reached home.

Kate had reunited Claire with her mother and Aaron. After quite some discussion, Kate and Claire decided the best way to settle their earlier arguments about who was to look after the little prince, was to move in together. They were best friends after all. Sawyer and Miles had signed up to become cops, which was a good way to put their three years of DHARMA experience to use. Although Sawyer had once been locked up in prison, he had been told that it would not affect whether he was accepted onto the force or not because apparently, they believed in second chances. He was also finally introduced to his daughter Clementine for the first time. He and Cassidy did not get together but Sawyer promised that he would visit Clementine often.

Frank had returned to his job as a pilot which was surprising considering he had now ended up on The Island twice. Most of the others thought he wouldn't be taking any risks.

Richard had found a nice place to settle down in the suburbs ready to live out the rest of his days.

One by one, they were all getting on with their lives. Penny wished that she could do the same but she could not do it without Desmond. She had not hated her father more than she did at this time. She hated him for taking her husband back to The Island. Were either of them still alive? None of the Ajira 6 seemed to know.

Rain was lashing across the window and thunder was rumbling in the sky. She suddenly noticed a sound coming from downstairs. It was several knocks being repeated. Someone was outside. She stood up and hurried down the stairs, she might have been keeping them waiting. She opened the door but not for a second had she expected a drenched Scotsman.

"Desmond?" She gasped. It was like a flashback of when he had showed up in 1996 to ask for her phone number, except this time, she wanted him to stay.

"I'm back!" He laughed, hugging her and kissing her. "I'm really back. And I'm not leaving." Then Penny realised she wanted to ask him a question.

"Wait, where's my father?" she asked. Desmond's smile faded, he didn't know how she would take what was coming next.

"I'm, I'm sorry Penny. He didn't make it." For a moment, she was unreadable. Until, she finally uttered three words.

"And good riddance." With that, she pulled Desmond into the warmth, shutting the door behind him. They were finally free to do what they wanted in their lives, free of the island at last.

**_Three Years Later..._**

"So run through it one more time." Said Sawyer, trying to figure out what was going on with his latest case. And so the blonde woman sitting across the table from him once again recounted her story. But Sawyer wasn't listening.

Every time he blinked, the woman would become dark haired, skinny, with a face covered in freckles. He tried to shake these thoughts away; he hadn't had much sleep recently. It was three years since Juliet had died yet he couldn't stop thinking about Kate for some reason. She had told Jack that she loved him but Jack had stayed. He wasn't coming back for her. He was gone… and so was Juliet. He really longed to call Kate but he had no idea what he would say.

* * *

Miles was sorting out some paperwork when he saw Sawyer coming out of his office. He approached him as the witness he had been questioning left the police station.

"Did you get anything out of her?" He asked.

"Not really. I still don't think she did it though. There was no motive."

"Huh. Well, on another topic, did you think about what I said? It's taken me three years to trace those diamonds back and I've finally done it."

"I thought you said they were stolen." Frowned Sawyer.

"Listen, I went to the graveyard and I found the grave. Howard L. Zuckerman. They poisoned him. He had no will and no family so the diamonds don't rightfully belong to anyone."

"Then I guess we should just hand them over to the government."

"You used to be a conman for God's sake. I say we split them between the two of us. No-one could possibly find out, how could they?" Sawyer raised an eyebrow. "What? Never heard of the phrase; live a little?"

"Miles, we'll talk later." He said. Miles rolled his eyes and returned to his desk as Sawyer went back into his office.

The blinds were half-open allowing several rays of light into the room. Sawyer sat back on his dusty, red chair, put his feet up on the desk and heaved a great sigh. Those diamonds were the least of his worries. His eyes closed and he began to snore.

His mind had drifted to a happier place. Dreams of bright lights and a church crossed his mind as they had done every time he slept since Juliet's death. And as usual, when he woke up, the memories of these dreams would fade away…

* * *

Hurley opened his eyes. It was still pitch black. He sat up in bed; he didn't usually have trouble sleeping, especially not in the barracks where there were real, comfy beds. He hoped to God that the man in black had not woken him up as he sometimes did. Though Jacob had once told Hurley that communicating with the dead was a gift, he couldn't help getting annoyed every time he saw the black smoke letting out rage all over the island.

Thankfully, it wasn't Smokey. It was just Michael.

"Dude, you scared me. Why did you wake me up?"

"I think I know Hugo."

"You think you know what?"

"I finally worked out how I can move on."

"Man, that's awesome! How?"

"You need to bring me Walt."

* * *

Kate was convinced that if Jack's Jughead scheme had worked that she would've been fine. She could've escaped the marshal, she'd done it countless times before and an airport would be easy, plenty of people wandering around in groups. Of course, it would have meant that she'd still be on the run, but it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't matter because she would have missed out on a world of pain. Not the least of it had occurred on that cliff, she thought. Watching Jack Shephard, a changed man, limp back off into the jungle.

She had cried a lot thinking of that day, it just hadn't been fair. So many bad things had happened and Jack might have been right. Maybe it was because they'd left. Perhaps the turning point _was_ when they had first left The Island. If everyone had made it, they wouldn't have to go back.

Her thoughts returned to Jughead. What about Claire? What about Aaron? She would've given up her son for adoption. This changed her mind. She could not live without Aaron or Claire. Before she could think about all this much more, there was a loud sound and everything went black. Damn. How was she going to pick up Aaron now?

It felt like several eternities had passed before she awoke. She'd had a strange dream, where time had been reset and she was back on 815. Reluctantly, she returned from her sleep. Something was wrong however. Kate could not put her finger on it… Then it clicked. This was not her bed. It was soft, and it was comfortable but it wasn't hers. Her eyes set to work, focussing on their surroundings- a hospital room.

Why was she lying in a hospital bed? Aaron would be wondering where she was. Summoning the strength to sit up, she inspected the bedside table. There was a vase of flowers (orchids), a bowl of fruit and a colourful hand-drawn card.

Kate popped a grape in her mouth and picked up the card for a closer look. The front depicted a crayon drawing of herself, although, the last time she'd checked, she was not a stick woman (albeit rather skinny). The caption read, 'To my mommy'.

There were more words inside, 'get well soon. From Aaron'.

There was movement from the doorway and instinctively, Kate's eyes shot in the direction of the noise. A short blonde woman was standing there with a look of relief on her face. Claire moved towards the bed.

"Thank God you're okay," she said in her worn out Australian accent. "I've been so worried about you." Kate stopped smiling and realised she wanted to ask something.

"Claire- what happened? Why am I in hospital?"

"You don't remember?" She paused. "You were in a car accident." As she said this Kate felt the impact of the other car plunging into hers with the crunch of twisted metal and broken glass. Then she was back in the hospital with Claire.

"Where's Aaron?" she asked urgently.

"Don't worry," replied Claire "He's at home with Jane". Jane lived next door to Kate and Claire and sometimes looked after Aaron when there was an emergency. "He wrote you a card you know," she gestured at the table where it stood.

"Yeah. I read it…" There was a moment of quiet as Claire made herself comfortable, sitting down by Kate's feet at the end of the bed. Without warning, tears filled up Kate's face.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just- I should have been paying attention,"

"Its fine, it only matters that you're okay." The other woman shook her head.

"But what if Aaron had been there?"

"What happened, happened. You're fine, Aaron's fine. So cheer up okay?"

* * *

"We've got a car crash." Said Miles, placing his laptop in front of Sawyer. As it hit the wooden desk, he awoke from his sleep. "Look at this-" he had a video up and pressed the play button.

It was CCTV footage of a street Sawyer recognised vaguely. Cars were passing in many different directions when suddenly one of them flew past at an absurd speed, crashing into another, smaller vehicle. It stopped for a second and then sped away, leaving a scene of chaos as ambulances began to arrive.

The video ended and Sawyer looked at Miles. He was still tired and now bemused by what this was about.

"Miles, we're in the middle of a murder case. We can't just drop everything and investigate a little car incident." After many years of being a confidence man and several of being a cop, he was an expert at reading people and was beginning to notice the odd expression on Miles' face- expectance. There was something important he was leaving out.

"Why don't you cut the crap and tell me what this is really about." Miles placed a file on the desk next to the laptop.

"Read it." He said and Sawyer opened it, scanning the page for information.

Date: 03/16/11 - March 16th

Time: 12.37pm

Incident: Car crash

Location: Los Angeles

Suspect: James Winter

Victim: Katherine Anne Austen

"Kate?" Asked Sawyer. Miles smirked and nodded.

"One of us is supposed to visit the victim in hospital and one of us is supposed to interrogate the suspect and I was just thinking that you might want to catch up with an old friend."

"Well, thanks. I guess I'll go there now then."

"No problem boss."

* * *

Kate glanced yet again at the round clock on the wall. There was still two whole hours until she would be discharged from the hospital and apparently the police wanted to ask her some questions. She was always bored whenever she stayed in the same place for too long. That was probably why she'd found it so hard to settle back in to a normal life with Claire and Aaron.

She lay back on her pillows and exhaled a sigh.

"Hey freckles." Time froze and Kate continued to stare at the white ceiling, completely still. She had imagined it for sure. Her heart pounded loudly and she finally dared to look.


	3. The Call

[Flashback]

Sawyer squinted against the bright light getting refracted through the plane window. As he leaned over to pull down the blind he spotted something- land. They were getting lower and lower, ever closer to the ground of Guam beneath them.

Sawyer unstrapped himself, headed to the flight cabin and knocked. Miles opened, having taken the co-pilot's chair for most of the flight.

"What do you want?" He asked. Sawyer ignored him.

"Frank, we're about to land yeah? I'm just checking cos I can't see a damn runway anywhere near."

"I'm working on it." He growled, obviously deep in concentration.

Suddenly a red light came on and a buzzing sound filled the cockpit.

"Oh crap," He exclaimed.

"What? What's the matter?" Asked Miles worriedly.

"We've run out of fuel. We're going down whether I can find an airport or not."

Miles and Sawyer looked at each other and could tell that they both thinking the same thing. Had they really made it this far just to die in the landing?

More lights started to flash causing an air of panic and confusion.

"Miles! Grab that lever!"

"What? I don't know how to land a plane?"

"Well there's a first time for everything now isn't there?" Miles looked unsure but sat back down and took hold of the lever to his right.

At this point they were headed straight for a green patch of land below.

Sawyer backed out of the cabin as Frank instructed Miles on what to do.

"What's going on, is everything okay?" asked Kate.

"Uh, don't worry, everything's fine." He reassured her as he hurried back to his seat. His body tensed up and he peaked through the window. They were so close now…

50 meters, 30, 10, 2- The whole plane lurched as they touched down and eventually skidded to a halt.

Sawyer wiped the sweat from his brow and laughed. He had a life ahead of him. One where he would make decisions for himself rather than some useless island.

"We made it. Yeah!"

Sawyer and Richard helped everyone off the plane and onto the short green grass that they had landed on. Sawyer was the last to get out and the moment he did he realized that it wasn't raining, as he had thought at first. The water being sprayed everywhere was from sprinklers.

As he approached the rest of the group to decide what to do next he tripped over a hole and noticed for the first time that they had actually landed on a golf course.

"Not a perfect landing but at least we're all alive," he said joining the others.

Before anyone could reply however, two black jeeps pulled up in front of them. The person in the passenger seat of the front vehicle stepped out. It was a woman that Sawyer had never met before. She looked tired and he imagined that her blondish hair was not as bright as it usually was. Her name was Penelope Widmore.

[Present]

"James?" Kate sat up.

"Hello Kate." Replied Sawyer. "Long time, no see."

There was a short pause. "Why didn't you tell me you were back in LA?" asked Sawyer. Kate thought for a moment. It was true that she had not contacted him when she had got back from New York City. She had gone there for a job opportunity a couple of years ago and had stayed for four months. The work had become far too tiring and she had missed Aaron and Claire too much.

"I thought about coming to see you." She said. "I did, but I didn't know if you'd want to see me. I know how busy cops can be." This last comment made Sawyer feel awkward; he would never not want to see Kate. The pair rushed through the questions Sawyer had to ask for procedure and were glad to finish after only five minutes.

"How's Clementine?" Kate finally asked.

"Good. She's nine now. How's Aaron? And Claire?"

"Aaron grew up so fast- look at this." She passed him the hand-made card and Sawyer smiled, showing his dimples. "But it's been much easier to raise him with Claire's help. She's her old self again… for the most part."

"Great. So you two are still living together?" He asked, his smile making the transition to a false one as he put down the card.

"Yes… We're together now actually."

"Together?"

"Like-"she had avoided saying it but could not put it off for much longer, "...like we're in love. We're raising Aaron together." Sawyer was quiet.

"What?" she asked.

"I didn't say anything." He replied with a defensive tone in his voice.

"Exactly. That's why I'm-"

"I just thought you still loved the doc." Kate broke eye contact with him and he saw many emotions flow through her face.

"It's been three years. Jack would want me to move on."

Suddenly Sawyer remembered something he had said once a long time ago;

_"Is three years long enough to get over someone? Absolutely."_ Did this mean he should forget about Juliet altogether? He had been talking about Kate when he had said it which made it seem like he'd come in a circle in the last six years except he was on the other side of the thin glass sheet known as the law.

Deep down Kate knew that what she had with Claire was nothing serious. It was convenient and it satisfied her wants and needs- but it certainly wasn't love.

She reached out and touched Sawyers hand, making him feel very warm for a moment.

"It's really good to see you James." Sawyer forced one more smile but could tell this one really wasn't very convincing.

"You too." There wasn't really a lot else to talk about- Sawyer wished he had not mentioned Jack. "Well I uh, I guess I'd better be off." He said.

"Thank you. Thank you for coming to see me. I'm glad."

"Goodbye Kate."

He turned and looked at her one last time. Then he left.

* * *

Ben placed his left hand's index finger into the warm water of the healing pool as he had received a paper cut when making some notes in his journal. The water had been crystal clear ever since Hurley had been anointed as the new protector of the island and once he and Ben had located the rest of the people who had fled from the war between the Man in Black and Charles Widmore, they had all rebuilt the temple and Ben would often go there to feel peaceful and think about things.

For the past few years he had felt of true importance, like he had found purpose in his life yet no day went by without memories of all the bad things he had done coming back to his mind, those were things that the temple pool could not heal.

Hurley entered the pool chamber and spotted Ben.

"Dude, there you are, I've been looking all over for you." Ben withdrew his hand from the water, the cut on his finger now sealed, and stood up.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Michael came to me again last night."

"What did he say?"

"He said he found a way for him to move on. He wants us to bring Walt to him."

"You want to visit the mainland?"

"Yeah, you said you needed to close down some of those old DHARMA stations anyway." Ben was still for a second.

"Well then. Let's not waste any time."

* * *

Sawyer shuffled the large pile of paperwork in front of him. It was late and he was tired but it had to be done.

He was trying to stay focused but images of Kate kept floating to the front of his mind. He'd use to have some wild ideas about Kate, but now he just felt annoyed that he couldn't be with her. She was Claire's now.

"So how was it?" asked Miles, coming out of nowhere.

"How was what?" asked Sawyer, taken by surprise.

"You know, with Kate."

"Oh, yeah. That. Um… it was great."

"Really? You don't sound as if it went great." Sawyer slammed his fist on the table.

"I'm busy dammit. Mind your own fucking business." Miles didn't flinch.

"Sorry if I'm interested but I do seem to remember that I was the one who set you two up today."

"Get out." Scowled Sawyer.

"Look, if you like, I can get that paperwork done for you. Go home. Put your feet up, you look tired."

"I'm staying here."

"No- You're not. Go home." This time his voice was with a tone of finality that Sawyer could not refuse. Miles pulled the papers from his hands.

"I'll take care of this. I got it covered."

* * *

Kate opened the front door carefully and entered the house. She'd had to get a cab back but was not worried about the prospect of a new car, she'd been thinking about getting a new one anyway and she and Claire had plenty of money to be getting on with.

It was pitch black and she had to look out for Aaron's toys on the floor. She turned on the light in the kitchen and placed her expensive handbag next to an empty jar of peanut butter that had been left on the breakfast bar. She had to be as quiet as possible in case she woke Aaron and maybe Claire if she was already asleep.

After a quick glass of water, she slowly opened the bedroom door and closed it behind her.

"Kate?" Whispered Claire through the darkness.

"Hey, you're still awake."

"I was waiting for you." Kate climbed into the bed next to Claire.

"Thanks, that's sweet of you." The two women kissed. Kate settled in just as Claire reached one of her hands towards Kate's abdomen. Kate pulled away and Claire retracted her hand.

"What?"

"It's late." Kate was often surprised by how Claire acted at night- it was as if she was feral once again, like she was for years on the Island. This made her act irrationally and made her crave any physical contact so she knew she wasn't alone like she was every cold night all that time ago. In the day, however, she reminded Kate of Jack; they were half brother and sister and Kate would spot more similarities by the day.

"Kate," she whispered through the dark. She leaned over and started kissing her girlfriend's neck.

Kate knew better than to put up a fight, Claire would become upset and bitter if not for the nocturnal ritual she had become so attached to. Claire was caressing the brunette's body, connecting to her, skin on skin. Kate always felt guilt, receiving any kind of pleasure from such a damaged person disgusted her- she felt like she was taking advantage in some way. Kate lay back, sweating. Some of the better nights she'd had were with Claire but she was still confident that nothing would ever quite compare to her first encounter with Sawyer in the polar bear cages.

* * *

When Sawyer finally got back to his flat, he was a mess. This was partly because he'd made a little detour to a bar and would have stayed there for longer if it didn't have a closing time. It didn't matter though; he'd just drink the alcohol he'd been saving; a MacCutcheon bottle of whisky.

He sat down and opened the bottle, without hesitating to take a large gulp. His sudden burst of anger wasn't purely to do with Kate's revelation; he had also had an argument with Cassidy at the weekend and had said some harsh things that he regretted. He had kept his promise to often visit her and Clementine but Cassidy would sometimes lose her patience with him and get angry.

The phone rang. It made Sawyer jump as it erupted through the silence.

"I'm coming!" He shouted in a drunken slur. He picked it up and said,

"Who is this?" For a few moments, the person on the other end did not speak. "Hello?" Sawyer asked. The caller finally spoke, deciding that they would not change their plan just because Sawyer was drunk. They had a deep male voice.

"Hello James." They said calmly. "I have your daughter."

"Wha-?" Even in this drunken mood, he could tell that this was serious. Then it was over... The caller had hung up.


	4. Fate's Gathering

**This chapter is quite short and I found it harder to write than the others. A special thanks to Kitty for the constant interest. **

The following morning, Sawyer clambered out of his bed with a splitting headache. He usually tried not to drink too much but last night he had gotten carried away. Holding one hand to his forehead, he walked slowly into the living room. The moment he saw the phone left out on the glass table, his heart lurched and he vomited a little on the floor. He remembered the call. He knew that it had been a short conversation yet one that sent a chill down his spine each time he attempted to recall it.

Shit shit shit shit shit; he thought. What if someone really had taken Clementine? He approached the table and examined the phone. Since the previous night, he had eight missed calls, all from Cassidy.

His heart stopped beating not daring to disturb his dark mind above. Sawyer felt something at that moment that he had not felt so strongly since he had strangled Anthony Cooper in the Black Rock all those years ago- a hunger for revenge.

The sick son of a bitch that took his daughter would not survive Sawyer's anger.

He jumped at a sudden noise and movement in his hand. The phone was ringing and vibrating- it was Cassidy again. With his heart pulsing at it's usual pace once more, he answered.

* * *

Kate shivered as a light breeze from the open window brushed her naked back. She turned over to look at Claire but she had already gotten up. She pulled the duvet off her legs and stood up.

There was a tall mirror on the other side of the bed which she examined with interest.

Suddenly, Claire came into the bedroom wearing shorts and a tee-shirt.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," Kate smiled back. She saw the other woman's eyes flicker momentarily down to glance at her lower half.

"I'll make breakfast if you want. I think we've got some eggs."

"Sure. I'll just take a shower first."

"Okay." Claire left the room again, leaving Kate in front of the mirror.

[Flashback]

It was an odd sight. Seven people were standing in a golf course with two jeeps and a dirty passenger plane behind them.

"Penny?" Kate had recognised her instantly. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain soon but right now all of you need to come with me," as she said this, a man from one of the cars stepped out wearing a black suit which was now getting wet because of the sprinklers.

"We'll have three in each shall we?" She asked him. He gave a nod and before any of the survivors could ask more questions they were being hurried into the cars.

Sawyer, Miles, Richard and the man in the suit in one, Kate, Claire, Frank and Penny in the other.

The two vehicles drove across the golf course, through some bushes onto a road.

"You know her?" asked Claire quietly. Kate nodded.

"She helped us out last time. She's Desmond's girlfriend."

"And when you say 'us'-"

"I mean the Oceanic 6, yeah. Don't worry, we can trust her."

"How the hell did you find us so fast anyway?" asked an agitated Frank.

"The plane was spotted over the ocean earlier and I was already around this part of the world looking for my husband again." Said Penny from the driver's seat. "Do you know if he's okay?"

"The last time I saw him he looked fine," said Kate.

"And when was that?"

"This morning."

"Where are you taking us?" asked Claire.

"I'm taking you to the airport. There's a flight to LA leaving in ten minutes and we're going to be on it."

"What about me?" asked Kate, "I broke my promise- I left California, I'll probably be arrested."

"No, you won't." Replied Penny.

[Present]

Kate pulled a cantaloupe melon off the supermarket shel

f and placed it in her shopping basket. She thought about her meeting with Sawyer the previous day.

"Kate?" She recognised the voice but was unsure who was speaking until she turned around and saw that it was Miles.

"Miles? Hi. How are you?"

"Great thanks. Uh, did you speak to James yesterday?"

"Yeah, did he tell you?"

"Actually I was the one who suggested that he go and see you."

"Oh, thanks. It was nice to see him."

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Dunno, but he seemed a bit stressed out last night. I assumed it was something to do with-" before he could finish his cell phone rang. "Sorry," he said, answering it.

"Hey. Yeah I know I was- what? When was this? Ok, I'll be there as soon as possible. Oh and I ran into Kate at the store, should I bring her? Got it." He put the phone back in his pocket and turned to Kate who was very confused.

"What's the matter?" she asked, sensing the urgency.

"That was him."

"What did he say?"

"His daughter's been kidnapped."

* * *

"How could you have taken your eye off her." Growled Sawyer.

"I- I don't know," cried Cassidy. "We were just walking back home, she ran off. I searched for hours. She was gone. I didn't know what to do."

Sawyer shook his head. Why was this happening to him?

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" said Cassidy. Sawyer stood up from the chair he had been sitting on. They were in the police station just outside of his office.

"I'm gonna find her." He informed the aggrieved mother.

Suddenly the door burst open and Kate and Miles entered.

"Oh my God are you okay?" she asked anxiously, hugging him. She hugged Cassidy too then continued, "We're going to find her. Don't worry. I don't know how yet but we will."

"Thanks." Said Sawyer. "But I don't need your help. I'm going to find Clementine on my own."

"No. Jim, that's not gonna happen." Said Miles.

"And why the fuck not?"

"Because you're emotionally attached. They'll never let you anywhere near this case."

"That's ridiculous. They can't stop me. I have a right. A father's right."

Kate was reminded of Michael Dawson and remembered how far a father would go to get back their child. She shuddered at the thought.

"If you get involved," continued Miles, "It could jeopardise the entire operation,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" spat Sawyer, having taken offense at this last comment.

The door opened again and two people came in so fast that no-one could fully register who they were straight away.

Hurley headed straight for Sawyer and gave him one of his classic over-sized hugs.

"I came as soon as I heard, man." He broke the hug and Sawyer looked bewildered.

"Hugo? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Looks like we have some catching up to do." Said Ben from the doorway.

* * *

Sawyer, Kate, Miles, Hurley, Ben and Cassidy sat or stood in various places around Sawyer's office, which was now very cramped. They had decided to move in there as not to run the risk of being overheard by anyone.

"How did you get off the island?" asked Kate at Hurley and Ben.

"Well it turns out there's loads of ways. First, we went to Guam by-"

"Hugo. That information is private. Forgive me Kate, it's nothing personal. All we can tell you is that us two are taking care of the island now."

"Who cares about some island?" asked Cassidy. "Clementine's in danger."

"She's right. The island doesn't have anything to do with this. We shouldn't have come at all really, we were just passing by."

"What so now you're just gonna leave without helping?" asked Miles.

"I thought I told you- I don't need helping." Sawyer reminded him.

"Dude, chill." Said Hurley. "We're in town for another couple of days so if you need anything just come and see us."

"Where are you staying?" Asked Kate. Ben scribbled the name of a hotel and room numbers on a piece of paper and gave it to her.

"Obviously, we're not detectives… but we can always offer alternative ways of doing things. After all, I'm quite well connected." He and Hurley moved towards the door.

"Oh and," said Ben, remembering something, "good luck." With one last wave from Hurley, they had left.

"So what are we gonna do?" asked Miles, addressing everyone in the room for an answer.

"I say that if we can't join the official investigation, we start our own." Said Sawyer.

"Well I guess that suggestion could work-" Miles began.

"It wasn't a suggestion. I'm doing it whatever happens. The phone call I got last night, we can trace it right?"

"Yeah, but the only way we can get the equipment is by saying it's for another case."

"Fine. We'll say it's for the murder case."

"We?" asked Miles. "I thought you didn't want any help."

"Well I've obviously had a change of heart. We should get started. Meet me at my apartment in one hour with the right equipment."

"I'll come too." Said Kate.

"No." replied Sawyer. "You're not getting dragged into this."

"Why? You think I'll get in the way?"

"I never said that Freckles." He looked into her eyes and thought about that evening at LAX three years earlier. He moved his eyes away and looked at the floor instead. "I'll let you know if we find anything."

Kate looked at Cassidy in disbelief but the other woman shrugged. There was nothing either of them could do.

* * *

There was a knock on the door and Sawyer answered. Miles was there with the police tracing equipment and a laptop.

"Come in." Said Sawyer and Miles entered the apartment. He noticed the scent of alcohol in the air which he guessed from Sawyer's signs of a hangover, was left from the night before.

"Here it is." Said Sawyer, gesturing to the old telephone. Miles kneeled by the table and plugged some wires into the phone, connected it to a small box and that to the laptop. He brought up the kidnappers call from the call log and selected an option on the laptop. It took a couple of minutes loading before an address came up on the screen.

42 Veil Avenue

"I guess I know where we're going." Said Miles.

"I guess we do." Replied Sawyer. "This sick bastard doesn't stand a chance."

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**There you have it, chapter 4. The next chapter should move the story forward a bit more. Feedback is highly appreciated and you don't need a account to leave a review. Thanks!**


	5. A Pathway to the Unknown

**Sorry it took so long I have been unbelievably busy! Thanks to anyone who have given reviews so far. This chapter is my favourite at the moment so enjoy and remember to leave a review if you can. Thanks!**

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[Flashback]

Claire massaged her face with her hands, spreading the cool water from the tap in front of her all over. As she moved her hands away, the water, mixed with mud and dirt spilled downwards into the sink below where it was washed away. She straightened her hair, put on some lipstick and applied mascara.

Having gone three years without wearing make-up she welcomed it back like an old friend. The plane shook slightly and her mascara smudged.

"Shit," she muttered, trying to fix it with a tissue.

The door to the bathroom opened. It was Kate.

"How's it going?" She asked.

"I think it's alright. What do you think?" She turned to show Kate clearly.

"You look great." Said the other woman.

There was silence as Claire continued to alter her appearance so that she looked normal and Kate looked at the floor. They would be landing in Los Angeles soon and she had something on her mind that she wanted to talk about before they landed.

"Claire."

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do?" Claire stopped and thought. She didn't need to ask what this was about.

"I've been thinking about it since we left." She continued cautiously. For all she knew, Claire could still be a bit unstable. It was like walking across a mine-field.

"Like I said before we left the island, maybe I could… help you. I mean, there's no reason that we shouldn't both raise him. I don't want you to feel alone." Claire looked up suddenly. The movement had been so quick that Kate wondered if she had stepped on one of her metaphorical landmines.

The two women looked at each other.

"I'd like that." Said Claire. "Yeah I'd like that a lot. Is he in LA?"

"Yes. He's with your mother." Replied Kate.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother's looking after him."

"My mother… is in a coma…"

Kate realised with a jolt what was going on. Claire sat down looking shell shocked. Then she smiled and her eyes glistened.

"I'm sorry. She never told me she'd been in a coma." Said Kate. "I'll tell you what. We'll drive up there first thing tomorrow morning and then we're going to get Aaron and you'll get to talk to your mother. She's going to be so happy to see you. They both are."

[Present]

"How about this one? You said you'd like a red one. It's quite a good deal too." Claire showed Kate the price tag on the car's windscreen and looked expectantly for her opinion.

"Yeah. It looks nice. I think that we should either get this one or the blue one back there. Hang on, I've got a text." It was from Sawyer.

Found a lead- an address, going there now.

Kate read and re-read the sentence a few times. Immediately she started going through her contacts but then stopped. She'd better go and speak to Cassidy face to face instead. She needed to be sympathetic. She thought about how she might feel if Aaron was taken from her.

After apologising to Claire and promising to finish looking at the cars another day, Kate called a taxi and asked it to take her to where Cassidy was staying.

The ride felt longer than it was and by the time she had paid the driver and stepped out, her nails had been noticeably worn down by her teeth.

Cassidy welcomed her warmly but she looked a mess. It was clear that she hadn't slept or eaten anything since her child had gone missing.

"Thanks for coming. I wish we'd been able to speak to each other a bit more this morning."

"It's no problem." Kate replied. "I came because I didn't want you to think you were in it alone." The women sat down.

"You know, when we got back, I was half expecting you and Sawyer to get back together."

"No." said Cassidy. "I promised myself that I'd never be with someone like him again."

"What do you mean 'someone like him'?" Kate asked.

"Someone selfish. You should have heard him earlier, blaming me for everything."

"Well he didn't seem that selfish when he decided to go on some trail to find Clementine." Cassidy didn't know what to say to this.

"It's strange." She said. "I was expecting _you_ to get back with him." Kate looked surprised. "What? Can you honestly say that you have no more feelings for him?"

"I don't know… Lately I've been thinking about it but-"

"But what?"

"I'm with Claire."

"Come on Kate, you really expect me to believe you're a lesbian?"

"Well…" Cassidy listened intensely. "There was a… moment."

"Between you and Sawyer?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"The night we got back to LA."

"What happened?"

"We kissed. But it didn't mean anything. We both understood that."

"Right." Said Cassidy though it was obvious that she did not believe it meant nothing. "Kate, why are you here anyway?"

"He texted me. Said he found an address."

"Yeah I heard about that. Let me guess, you want go running after him?"

Kate nodded. There was no point hiding it.

"Well he didn't tell me the address so you came here for nothing. I'm sorry. Look, I know it sucks being told not to come but he cares about you. He doesn't want to lose you as well as Clementine."

"I'm sorry. I should never have come." Said Kate, getting up to leave.

"Don't apologise," said Cassidy. "It's good to know that you want to help. But at the moment… you just can't."

* * *

By the time that Sawyer and Miles had reached 42 Veil Avenue the sun had set covering the street in darkness. The house was an average size and there was nothing from the outside to suggest that it contained a kidnapped child.

"All the lights are off," Miles pointed out.

"I can see that," whispered Sawyer.

"The person we're looking for is probably asleep,"

"Well, I guess we'll have to come back tomorrow," said Sawyer with an unmistakable tone of sarcasm in his voice. He picked up a garden gnome holding a mini fishing rod from nearby and held it tightly in his hand before chucking it through one of the house's downstairs windows.

"What the hell are you doing?" hissed Miles "are you crazy?" Sawyer pulled out his gun and approached the broken window.

"Perhaps." He replied. Miles reluctantly followed him and they managed to climb into the house. If the rest of the LAPD found out, the two of them would be in some deep shit.

Sawyer removed the safety from his weapon and walked as quietly as he could down the hallway. His breathing was unsteady and he was sure that he was about to find his daughter and maybe her kidnapper.

Miles was a couple of paces behind him. The house looked pretty dilapidated, he thought. There was an odd stench and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls.

The two cops turned a corner at the end of the hall and started to go up the stairs.

"Look," he began as the steps below creaked quietly. "Maybe this guy-"

"Shut up," Sawyer whispered back at him.

"Oh so you can smash a window however friggin' loud you want, but when I start speaking-" suddenly the whole wooden staircase collapsed beneath them sending dust everywhere.

"Son of a bitch!" shouted Sawyer through the grey cloud.

Miles prayed that none of the neighbours would have called the police. Coughing, he stumbled across the debris and found Sawyer with his leg trapped under a huge splintered plank of wood and scars on his cheek where it had scratched against a rusty nail.

Sawyer let out a growl of pain.

"Don't worry, I got it," said Miles. He bent down and mustered the strength to remove the wooden plank and place it to one side. "I think you need something put on that," he told him pointing at the deep scar which was starting to bleed. "I'll go look for a first aid kit." He ran out of the hallway into an almost empty room. There was a small table but there was nothing on it and an old bookcase full of books that looked like they'd never been touched.

He ran into a smaller connecting room and immediately spotted a cabinet on the wall. He pulled it open and the only thing there was exactly what he needed.

He brought the small plastic box back to where Sawyer was sitting and opened it. When he saw what was inside his heart sank.

At first it appeared to be empty but then he noticed a scrap of lined paper at the bottom. In untidy handwriting it said;

Look upstairs.

It was clear now that the events of the day that had led them to this box had been completely mapped out from the start. Whoever the kidnapper was, they weren't your average criminal.

"Well that's helpful," scowled Sawyer. "But he obviously didn't know the fucking stairs were gonna get trashed."

"No," said Miles, shaking his head. "He knew everything. He knew we'd trace the call, he probably even set the stairs up to be weak. Why else would we look for a first aid kit? This guy's clever. If he knew all of this then it's gotta be a trap. We need to get out of here."

"If it's a trap then why didn't anyone jump on us the moment we got here?" asked Sawyer. He was right, it did seem a bit stupid for them to have got this far if there wouldn't be some kind of reason. "You say he knew the stairs would collapse, then if he left us this-" he held up the note. "-There must be another way up. Then we might get our next clue."

It was well deduced. After being a cop for three years, six if their DHARMA security days were counted, it was hard to say that either of them were bad at their job.

Destiny had laid a path in front of them and it was time to follow it.

The closer they got to the kidnapper, the closer they got to Clementine and that was a risk well worth taking.

[Flashback]

"I love you James, I love you so much."

"Hold on Juliet, hold on!" But Juliet couldn't hold on anymore. She was slipping from Sawyer's grip.

"NO!"

"James. James wake up." Sawyer opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Kate next to him.

"What's going on?" he asked sleepily.

"You were shaking. I think you were having a nightmare."

Sawyer looked to his left through the plane window. I was night-time and outside he could see little specks of light shining in the vast darkness.

"Are we nearly there yet?" He asked.

"I think so. Penny said we're just about to land."

"Did you speak to Claire?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"She seems fine."

"What about the doc?"

"…What about him?"

"Do you think he did it? Do you think he saved the island?"

Kate shook her head.

"No. I know it."

The fasten seatbelt sign switched on and the pilot made an announcement on the PA system. The plane got lower and a runway became visible ahead. Kate looked at Sawyer. He smiled.

"I guess this is it."

When the wheels touched the ground it was noticeably softer than the other landing they'd had that day. As they went further down the runway, the plane became slower and eventually stopped, the engines dying out.

Sawyer, Kate, Claire, Penny, Miles, Frank and Richard were the only people in first class and they stood up, putting on coats and jackets. They could tell it would be cold outside.

They passed a smiling flight attendant and walked down the corridor to LAX airport.

The group did not need to stop to claim any baggage so they were led by Penelope through the busy halls. As this happened, Frank, Richard and Miles were smiling and joking excitedly, walking beside each other, Kate was softly describing Aaron to Claire and Sawyer watched them. Kate met his eyes but carried on speaking...

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**You- AAH we want Skate!**

**Me- Well you may get a nice surprise next chapter...**

**Thanks for reading this chapter! Sorry in advance if the next chapter takes as long.**


	6. A Kiss and a Key

**Well there was another long gap between chapters so I'm sorry but I think from now on this is how often I'm going to be able to upload. Anyways once again thanks to all who gave feedback and if you haven't yet please do. This is a long chapter and I hope you enjoy it. It's very Skate!**

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Suddenly, the dusty silence was trashed in an instant as Sawyer's hand swept through one of the old bookcase shelves, sending several heavy books towards the floor where they landed with a soft thud. It had been a few minutes since the staircase had collapsed and once he had got his energy back, he had been eager to find an alternative way to reach the houses upper level.

He cleared out the shelves one by one until the case was completely empty apart from some cobwebs in the top right corner. The cop took a moment to catch his breath before putting one hand on each side of the wooden structure and beginning to pull with all his strength.

Sawyer dragged the bookcase into the hall where Miles was waiting with his arms crossed, leaning against a wall.

"Need a hand with that?" he asked unfolding his arms.

"Nope," replied Sawyer. "I got it." He pulled it up some of the rubble that had once been a set of poorly constructed stairs and rested it on the edge of the second floor in the place that the steps had been. The case looked a bit like a large wooden ladder with shelves to climb up.

"Not bad," said Miles. "But it doesn't look very stable…"

"Well I guess I'll go first then."

Sawyer shoved his gun into his back pocket and placed his right foot on the bottom shelf. He grabbed the sides of the case and pulled himself up a bit. Miles watched with baited breath as his partner carefully began to climb. With each uncomfortable step the wood creaked as the stairs had done just a little while earlier.

He was half way up now and thought about how he'd once gone rock-climbing as a teenager- he hadn't been very good at it and felt completely different to what he was currently doing.

"Almost… There…" said Sawyer grabbing the part of unbroken banister at the top. With tremendous force he tried to pull himself upward onto the top floor but without warning, the bookcase snapped in two like a gigantic twig.

Miles jumped back in surprise as one half fell backward toward him. Sawyer was just able to pull himself up using the immense strength in his arms and as he reached his goal he rolled on the floor and lay laughing manically.

"That…" he sighed, "That was a close one!"

"You definitely okay?" called Miles.

"Never better,"

"This guy's furniture isn't that great is it? How am I gonna get up there anyway?"

"Here, I'll pull you up," said Sawyer. He kneeled and reached his arm out.

Miles climbed onto the pile of rocks and wood and made a small jump.

As their hands connected Sawyer suddenly had a fleeting moment of pain as he remembered holding Juliet's hand before- then he was back.

He pulled Miles upwards and let go when he was able to lift himself over the edge.

The two men stood up and realised that in their determination to find a way to the higher lever, they had let their guard down. Luckily there were no obvious consequences and they both returned to their alert state of mind.

There were two doors in front of them now, one right ahead which was slightly ajar revealing a small dingy bathroom and one at the bottom of the hallway.

"I'll go down there," said Sawyer pointing at the further room, "You check out the bathroom,"

"Oh lucky me to have such a glamorous job," said Miles rolling his eyes.

His partner seemed not to have heard his sarcastic comment and proceeded to walk down the hall.

Sawyer approached the closed door with caution and drew his weapon ready for a surprise attack. He turned the door handle and entered the room.

[Flashback]

Penny, Richard, Frank, Miles, Claire, Kate and Sawyer approached the hotel just outside of LAX airport. It was cold and dark with high winds blowing their hair into disarray. Just as they reached the door Kate stopped and looked around. She whispered something to Claire who nodded and said;

"Ok."

"You lot go on." Said Kate to Penny. "I just need a moment." She walked over to the edge of the little car park and stood looking out across the runways. Sawyer watched her carefully and muttered to Miles;

"I'll catch up in a minute." He wandered over to Kate who knew he was there but continued to be silent.

"Aren't you cold Kate?" he asked, behind her. She took in a large gulp of the fresh evening air and didn't show any signs of looking at him as she had done earlier.

"I'm fine thanks." She said. The two stood there for a few minutes. Lost for words Sawyer followed her gaze across the lines of lights that could well of ran parallel without any ending, infinitely long, through all of the universe. He appreciated, as he assumed Kate was also doing, how beautiful the lights were.

He examined her profile and saw that the only things more stunning to look at were her sharp hazel eyes reflecting the world around them.

Kate and Sawyer stood there forever until finally Kate spoke again.

"A little over two weeks ago," she began, "Jack called me. He was drunk as hell. He told me to meet him right over there." She gestured to a metal fence by the edge of the runways. "He'd grown a beard. He looked terrible. And he had an obituary for Jeremy Bentham." Sawyer cleared his throat and was just about ask her a question but Kate had anticipated this and had already spoken the answer.

"-Locke. And then… Jack told me that- that we had to go back. Back to the island. He screamed it at me." She had tears rolling down the edge of her nose and cheeks. "He was- he was crazy James. If it wasn't for Claire I would never have gone back."

"Why are telling me this?" he asked in a low whisper.

"I need you to promise. I need you to promise me that we will never go back. Not again."

"Kate-"

"Promise." She cried. "…Please." Sawyer touched her arm and she looked into his face.

"I promise." He said. She kissed him softly on the lips. He should have been surprised. But he wasn't. He wasn't surprised because he could tell by the way Kate was kissing him that it didn't have any meaning. Or at least, not to her.

She finally broke away and wiped the tears from her face.

"Thank you." She said. She then walked into the hotel leaving Sawyer in the cold. He stood for a few minutes looking at where Kate had gestured by the fence. Jack was there. He looked a bit sad and eventually wandered off into the darkness.

Taking this as a hint that he needed some sleep, Sawyer made his way towards the hotel alone as plane took off behind him.

[Present]

The door opened with a click and Sawyer went inside. It was a bedroom though it was not much nicer than any other room in the house. He scanned above and below to check for people or traps but he was not surprised to find that there were none.

He somehow felt less threatened by the kidnapper with the knowledge that he'd had the chance to kill him and hadn't. If this whole thing was some sort of game, it was good to know that his opponent was playing by the rules.

There was a large double bed in the middle of the room covered in ripped sheets and dust and by it's side a small bedside table with a couple of drawers underneath. The was one window in the room covered by some dirty curtains.

From down the hall Sawyer heard Miles turning on a tap and a low hissing as water poured out.

He removed the sheets from the bed and looked under it too but found nothing so he went over to the drawers and opened the top one. Inside was a creased up photograph of himself but he looked very different in the picture. He couldn't tell where it had been taken from the background but he could tell that it was before 815. His hair was a lot shorter and his eyes didn't look like they held any emotions at all.

In the second drawer was a photo of Clementine which had probably been taken a few weeks before she was kidnapped. There were twigs and leaves in the foreground and Sawyer realised with a burn of anger that the picture had been snapped from a bush.

As he held the two pictures he noticed that his one felt a bit heavier. Curious as to what was causing it to weigh more, he turned it over and saw that on the other side was a silver key that had been stuck to the back with a tiny strip of clear Sellotape. He checked the back of the other photo and there was a number written in pen on there.

423

Before he could fully register the number however, blue flashing lights shone through the curtains almost blinding.

Sawyer ran out of the room stuffing the photos in his pocket and stopped at the bathroom door.

"Well there's nothing in here," said Miles.

"We gotta go." Sawyer told him. "Now." Miles looked at him waiting for an explanation. "It's the cops- they're here! Someone must have heard us and called them."

"Shit," said Miles. "Is there another way out apart from the front door?"

"No, I don't-" but he suddenly realised that there was. "Yeah, down here."

Miles followed Sawyer down the hall.

"Glad we're wearing gloves now huh?"

"I never said it was a bad idea," replied Sawyer. But in truth he was certainly glad that they weren't leaving any fingerprints behind.

They ran into the bedroom and Sawyer pointed at the window.

"That's our way out." He said. Miles walked over to it and peeked through the curtains. There was one police car and two officers stepped out. They both had guns and they were heading for the front door.

"So," said Miles, "How's this gonna work? We smash then jump?" Sawyer shook his head.

"We don't have time, they'll hear the noise and run outside ready for us."

"Great," said Miles. "So we jump and smash at the same time." His partner merely nodded. They heard the two cops coming into the house downstairs and knew that their time for talking was over.

Sawyer put up three fingers.

One went down.

Another went down.

And then the third finger went down and the next thing the two knew was their bodies making impact against the glass and the shattering crashing sound it made all around them.

Thousands of small, sharp particles shot through the air and finally Sawyer and Miles hit the hard ground below in crouching positions before standing up and sprinting down the street ignoring the shouts coming from behind.

The two men were very athletic and it wasn't difficult for them to out-run the two officers before long and when they felt that there was no way that they could be caught up, they stopped for a breather.

"I think we lost them," gasped Sawyer.

"Yeah," agreed Miles. "I think we did."

"We can go and get the car in a minute I thinks it's only a couple of streets away."

They both stood there for about half a minute resting their hands on their knees and panting. They both had quite a lot of scratches and cuts after jumping through the window but fortunately neither obtained any serious injury.

"Hang on, you never told me if you found anything," said Miles after their small rest. Sawyer nodded and said;

"Sorry, yeah. I found these." He pulled out the two pictures.

"This ones of you?" asked Miles.

"Yep."

"God, you looked different."

"I know. Turn it over though," Miles did and saw the silver key.

"A key?"

"Yeah. Dunno what it opens though." Replied Sawyer.

"I do." Said his partner.

* * *

Kate turned over in bed again as the sun began to come through her window. She hadn't slept through the night. She stared at Claire who was lying next to her and tried to block out all other thoughts. But it didn't work. She didn't feel that her life was real any more. It was as though she had died in the car crash and gone to- well that's what she couldn't work out. Was she in heaven or hell?

Her life seemed to be going well. She had plenty of money, a nice house, an amazing lover and a great son. All this left her feeling slightly empty though, like her life had no greater purpose… no destiny…

Kate sat up suddenly. These most recent thoughts were perhaps the most worrying. She couldn't become like Locke or Jack. She got out of bed feeling disgusted with herself. It couldn't be heaven anyway or Sawyer would still be with his daughter.

She decided that she needed some fresh air and went outside for a stroll.

[Flashback]

"It's okay to be nervous Claire. Just be yourself. You can do it." Kate said reassuringly.

"Okay." Claire nodded. "Yeah I'm ready."

"Then let's go." Kate and Claire both stepped out of the car and went up the steps heading to Claire's mother's apartment. "I think she's still staying here." Said Kate softly, "but if she isn't, we can always find out where she's gone."

"Right." Said Claire. But she sounded as if she'd be gutted if no-one answered the door and Kate couldn't blame her. She really wanted to see Aaron again too.

It was the longest few seconds of her life after she knocked on the door. But suddenly it swung open and the two were facing a shocked Carole Littleton.

"Hi mum." Said Claire. Carole stepped forward and hugged her tightly and the two both started crying in joy. Kate couldn't stop herself smiling at the happy reunion and once Carole broke the embrace she turned to Kate and said;

"Thank you for bringing her back to me, thank you so much. Please come in both of you. There's someone who'll want to see you." They went in and Aaron ran up and hugged Kate.

"Mommy, you came back." These words felt like a knife in Kate's heart. She knew there'd be no point trying to explain to Aaron that Claire was his real mother as he wouldn't understand but she felt so guilty when she saw the downhearted look on Claire's face.

Later on when Aaron had been put to bed, the three sat down for a discussion.

"So what now?" asked Kate.

"I know I said that I wanted to go back to Australia but I've changed my mind." Replied Claire. "You said you'd like to help me raise Aaron and I think we should do it here. In LA."

"So are you okay with her being around him?" asked Claire's mother.

"Yes. Then eventually me and Kate will part ways and Aaron will know that I'm his mum." She said. "You'll still be able to visit afterwards though," she told Kate.

"Thanks. I'm glad that we're doing this."

"Me too." Said Claire smiling. Her mother didn't look too pleased but she understood that it was her daughter's right to choose what was best for herself.

"And I'll be able to visit my grandson too?" she asked.

"Of course." Said Claire.

"Then I guess this all works out well then."

[Present]

Sawyer came into his office and was surprised to see Kate sitting on the floor against his desk.

"Kate? Who let you in here?" he asked.

"No-one. The door was open." He noticed that she was still in her pyjamas.

"Did you walk all the way here from your house?"

"Yeah." She replied as if it was a normal thing to wander down to your local police station in the early hours of the morning.

Sawyer went and knelt by her.

"Are you okay?" She shook her head.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Oh."

"I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I went to see Cassidy last night. I wanted to know where you had gone."

"But I texted you. I told you we found a lead."

"No- I wanted to know exactly where you were. So I could go after you."

Sawyer understood now and sat down next to Kate.

"What did Cassidy tell you?"

"She said that you hadn't told her any details." Sawyer nodded. He had indeed kept the exact address between him and Miles. "I felt really annoyed with myself," she continued. "After all those times on the island, you'd think that I would have learnt something."

"Don't be annoyed at yourself," said Sawyer, trying to comfort her. "I would have done the same thing."

"So did you find anything at the address?" asked Kate. But before he could answer she spoke again. "In fact no, don't tell me. I don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"No. I've changed my mind." Said Sawyer. "You obviously care about Clementine. I want you to be involved in this."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We'll find her together. You and me." He told her. They smiled at each other. "…And Miles I guess." At this, Kate laughed.

"So what did you find?" she asked again. "And how did you get all those scars on your face?"

"Well after the staircase collapsed on us we found a note telling us to look upstairs."

"So how did you get up without stairs?"

"We used a bookcase."

"Aah, of course."

"In the bedroom I found two pictures. One of me and one of her."

"Clementine?"

"Yes. One had a key on the back the other, a number."

"So what's the key for?"

"Apparently it opens a safety deposit box at the bank but we ain't going anywhere before we check those photos for prints. Which is what our good friend Miles is doing right now."

"It sounds like you're doing well." Said Kate.

"Yeah. I guess we might actually have a chance of getting my daughter back." They smiled again and looked at each other. Sawyer remembered the passionate kiss they had shared before he jumped from the helicopter six years ago. He remembered the sweet taste of Kate's lips, cruelly ripped away by the salty water as he hit the ocean's surface. He wanted to so badly to kiss her right now.

Kate wondered if Sawyer still had feelings for her. She felt very attracted to him now that they were in this together. She wanted more than anything to kiss him right now.

Suddenly Miles came into the office.

"Not that it's a shock but no prints were found." He said holding up some papers. He then spotted Kate.

"What's she doing here?" he asked. "I thought you told her she couldn't help,"

"Well I've decided she can."

"Right," said Miles, he didn't really care if she was involved or not. "Well, are you ready to head down the bank? We've got a deposit box to open."

"I'm ready. Kate'll just be a minute. She needs to put on some clothes."

"Okay," replied Miles. "I'll wait outside."

"I'll get you something to wear." Said Sawyer.

"Thanks again. For letting me come with you." Said Kate.

"It's no problem." Sawyer replied.

* * *

**Thank you for reading this chapter and the next will be put up eventually but it may not be for a while so until then, thanks, please leave feedback and happy holidays!**


	7. The End of the Beginning

Yes, as you may have guessed from the title of this chapter, this truly is the end of the first part of the story. Luckily as a treat, there is a preview of what is to come in future chapters! I've planned most of the story out from the beginning so it's great to finally hint at later parts. Enjoy!

* * *

"421, 422, 423. This is us." said Sawyer stopping in front of the locker. He looked to Miles. "Key please." Miles nodded and handed over the shiny silver key. Kate watched them with a desire to find out what was inside the safety deposit box.

Slowly, the key was inserted and after some quiet mechanical noises the door swung open and the three of them were staring inside at the small rectangular box.

Kate looked around. It was natural for her to be feeling nervous, after all the last time she took something from a safe deposit box she was under very different circumstances.

Sawyer took the box in his hands.

"Here goes…" he said, removing the lid. Inside there was a third photograph. This one was not of a person like the other two though. The picture was of a skyscraper that Sawyer did not recognise. On the back was written a few concise words.

This Building.

Sunday.

11.30pm

The Roof.

Come Alone.

"I've never seen that building before." said Sawyer.

"Me neither," said Miles. "I guess we have to work out where it is somehow."

"I've seen it." Kate told them.

"Well where is it?" Sawyer asked her.

"I can't remember exactly but I'm pretty sure that it's in New York." She replied.

* * *

"I'll wait here." said Ben, stopping just outside the jungle clearing.

"Are you sure?" asked Hurley.

"Yes. This really hasn't got much to do with me."

"Well we'll see you in a few minutes." said Hurley, taking Walt into the clearing with his arm on his shoulder.

"Is this gonna work?" asked Walt. He seemed uncertain.

"Yes, yes I'm sure it will work." The two stopped and stood in the centre of the trees on some smooth rocks.

Michael came out of the shadows and smiled.

"Walt! You're here man, you're really here!" he shouted in joy.

"So, when's my dad gonna get here?" asked Walt.

"He's already here." replied Hurley. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass bottle of water that he had taken from the stream near the heart of the Island. He popped off the cork and drank half of it before giving the other half to Walt.

Once they had both drank, Hurley put his hand back on Walt's shoulder and the two closed their eyes.

"See what I see, Walt."

When Walt opened his eyes he could finally see his father standing in front of him.

"Oh my, you've gotten big man," said Michael overcome with happiness.

"It's good to see you dad." The spirit hugged his son tightly.

"It's good to see you too." He replied.

Suddenly a barking could be heard from the jungle and Vincent came running in to join them.

"Vincent? You're still here?" said Walt, kneeling down to give the dog a good pat on the back. He laughed and smiled for a while before eventually. Michael looked up at Hurley.

"How much time have we got?"

"Just a minute or so," said Hurley. "I'm sorry."

"Walt." He began. "I'm gonna have to go in a moment. And you're not gonna see me for a while but I just want you to know that your dad will always love you."

He had a tear in his eye now. "Do you forgive me Walt? For all the bad things I did…" he asked pleadingly.

"Yeah," his son replied. "I forgive you."

"Thank you." cried Michael. "Thank you…" Then he was gone.

After a moment Vincent started barking like crazy again.

"Wow, boy calm down," said Walt.

"Dude this is bad…" said Hurley. "Walt, get out of here,"

"But what-" Without warning a huge cloud of black smoke poured into the clearing towards Hurley, Walt and Vincent.

"Run!" shouted Hurley desperately. Walt did as he said and legged it into the jungle, Vincent at his heels.

The whirling smoke monster clicked and hissed, stopping right in front of the Island's protector. As the two enemies stared into each other, the monster kept flickering and changing. Most of the people that it changed into Hurley didn't recognise. There was a grey haired man in a suit who he was sure he'd seen somewhere before, a black priest and a man in black although every now and then Locke would flash up for a moment. Sometimes it would even be animals. Then it would become smoke once more.

"Don't even try it dude. The water's effect has worn off. You can't hurt us now."

"Then why did you send the boy away?" asked the evil being.

"I don't want you anywhere near him." replied Hurley.

"I'll be able to hurt you soon. One of these days, someone else will fall into the heart of the Island."

"Well, whenever that happens someone's gonna be here to kick your ass,"

With a loud crash and more mechanical sounds, the smoke retreated and Hurley was left alone, wiping sweat from his brow. At least Michael had moved on now, this meant he'd have more time to head up to the lighthouse and fix the mirror while Ben tutored Walt to become the Island's next protector.

* * *

"New York? Are you sure?" asked Miles as he, Sawyer and Kate walked out of the bank.

"I'm pretty sure," replied Kate. "I think I had to walk past it every morning to get to work."

"Sunday… That's the day after tomorrow." said Sawyer staring at the photo of the building in his hand, deep in thought.

* * *

The trio found a café where they sat down and ordered some coffee. Miles used the internet connection to look up the building on his laptop. If they got to New York and found that Kate had been wrong, they'd be in big trouble.

"So how long exactly does it take to get to New York from here?" asked Sawyer.

"About 5 hours by plane." said Kate. "I guess we could go this evening."

"No. Not by plane," said Sawyer firmly. "We can't take any risks. If we fly there, the cops will know. If that building is where you say it is, we're gonna have to drive."

"Well I don't know how long it would take to drive there," said Kate.

"42 hours." Miles informed them from behind the screen of his laptop. "And you'd better buckle up your seatbelts," he turned the screen around to reveal a picture of the New York skyline with the building they were looking for right at the front.

"Well, I haven't even got a new car yet, it'll have to be one of yours," said Kate. Then a woman came around and served them their coffees.

"I don't think my crap car would still work after going that distance," exclaimed Miles, "It's like 3,000 miles!"

Sawyer took a sip of his drink.

"Then it looks like it'll be my car we're taking," he said, wincing as the coffee scolded his tongue. "We'll leave in a few hours. Kate, you'll meet us back at the police station?"

"Absolutely."

"I thought it said to come alone." said Miles.

"I know," replied Sawyer. "But you two can stay hidden so if it is some kind of trap, you can take the bastard out."

"Oh. Oops." Miles said looking guilty.

"What? 'Oops' what?"

"I may have left our guns at the station,"

"Ah, shit."

"What, can't you just get them back again?" asked Kate.

"No, they will have been put away until the owners come an collect them,"

"So what are we gonna do?" she asked.

"Okay, change of plan. Kate, you go home, me and Miles will get the guns and we'll come and pick you up at 3:00."

"Okay." said Kate. "But be careful. If they found out why you need them they'd be mad."

"We're always careful." replied Sawyer.

[Flashback]

Sawyer nervously walked down the garden path, hair clean and combed, wearing a new suit and carrying a small gift-wrapped box under his arm. He stopped just outside the door and pushed the doorbell. He put on a smile and waited. Finally the door opened and Cassidy looked at him. She shook her head in pitying disbelief and slammed the door shut again.

"Hey, come on, open the door!" said Sawyer, knocking loudly. "I just want to see her. Please!" there was no reply.

Feeling downhearted, he placed the gift on the doorstep and began to walk away. Just as he reached the gate however, he heard Cassidy's voice say;

"Fine. You can come in for ten minutes." Sawyer smiled and came back up to the doorstep. He picked the present up again and headed inside the house behind Cassidy.

"She's just through here," said Cassidy. They came into the living room and Sawyer saw his daughter for the first time sitting on the sofa. She looked very different to the photograph he had seen in prison. She was a lot older now. He smiled and went over to her. He knelt by the sofa and she looked at him.

"Hey there Clementine," he said.

"Clementine, this is… This is your father."

"You're my dad?" she asked.

"Yeah. And I got you something here." He handed her the box and she opened it excitedly. He hadn't known what she would like so there was a variety of things in there; a teddy bear, some chocolates, a necklace and a pink watch.

"Cool!" she said, putting on the necklace and opening the chocolates.

"That was nice of you." said Cassidy. "Bring anything for me?" she joked.

"No. I'm afraid not." The two smiled at each other.

"Look," she said on a serious note, "I'm just worried that now you've met her, you're not ready to commit. If you want to be a part of her life you'll have to visit at least twice a month. Are you sure you can do that?"

"Why wouldn't I? I'm ready to take some responsibility now. I enjoy seeing her too. She's great."

"You're gonna need a new job aren't you." She said.

"Yeah," He replied. "I'm sure I'll find something."

[Present]

Miles and Sawyer walked up to the counter of the evidence room where Jeff was reading a magazine about cars. They'd been told that Jeff had found their guns and had them.

"Oh," he said looking up. "Miles, Sawyer? What are you doing here?"

"Just getting our guns." said Miles.

"Oh yeah, I've got them right here." He reached under the desk and fumbled around looking for the weapons. He finally brought them out and handed them over.

"Thanks Jeff." said Sawyer.

"Hey," said Jeff. "What happened to your shirt?" he pointed at a rip that had been made the previous night when Sawyer had jumped out of the window. He hadn't been bothered to change.

"Oh, this? I uh, fell on a rock."

"Hang on…" Jeff headed into the evidence locker and brought back a box. He opened it. There were some photographs of a broken bookcase and the missing piece of Sawyer's shirt.

They all realised what had happened at once. The evidence from the break-in would have been handed in that morning and Jeff had recognised the shirt.

"Listen, we can explain-" began Sawyer.

"Put your hands in the air." said Miles, pointing his gun at the evidence offscer.

"What are you doing?" asked Sawyer. "This is against the law. We should just tell him the truth!"

Jeff put up his hands.

"Guys come on," he said calmly, "we can talk about this,"

Sawyer and Miles looked at each other. That was all it took, Jeff grabbed his own gun from under the desk and fired two shots. One hit Miles' arm and the other missed completely, hitting and breaking the glass of the fire alarm system. The sound of the alarm echoed through the police station. Sawyer shot at Jeff and hit his hand before he and Miles ran out of the room.

Meanwhile, Jeff headed straight to the phone and started to alert everyone else of what was going on using the hand that hadn't been fractured.

Miles clutched his arm and groaned in pain. Sawyer was ahead of him and turned a corner. Soon they heard more cops running behind them.

Finally they reached the back exit leading to the car park. Sawyer held it open as Miles ran out before slamming it shut behind them. He now held it closed as the other officers tried to force it open.

"Miles! Get in the car!" he shouted. Miles didn't need to be told twice and he ran over to the car.

"It's locked!" he shouted back. With much difficulty, Sawyer pulled the keys out of his pocket and pushed the unlock button. Miles heard a click and rushed into the vehicle, taking the passenger seat.

Sawyer let out a sigh. He was going to have to be fast. He let go and the door burst open causing several cops to stumble out of the building. Their target was already sprinting towards the car and got inside, grabbing the wheel. He stuck the key in the ignition and the engine roared.

Sawyer put his foot down on the acceleration pedal and sped away.

* * *

"It sounds dangerous," said Claire worriedly.

"Trust me," replied Kate. "We'll be back as soon as we find Sawyer's daughter."

"What about Aaron?" asked Claire.

"I've been away for longer in the past. He'll be fine. He'll still have you here until I get back."

"Okay. But you have to buy me something in New York."

"You drive a hard bargain Miss Littleton," laughed Kate.

"So when are they coming to pick you up?"

"Actually they're already a few minutes late," she glanced nervously out the window. "Oh wait there they are," she said as she saw Sawyer's car speeding down the street.

"Why are they going so fast?" said Claire. The two women ran outside as the car came to a halt.

"Get in!" called Sawyer from the drivers seat. Claire looked shocked.

"What's wrong?" asked Kate. But then she saw it too- Miles' arm was cover in blood. "What happened? And why were you going so fast?"

"JUST GET IN THE DAMN CAR!" he shouted. Sirens in the distance seemed like they were getting closer now.

"Claire, I'm sorry, I've got to go." said Kate. Claire shook her head. "I promise I'll be back in a few days," they kissed and Kate jumped into the back of the car. Claire watched as it disappeared down the road. At the other end of the street, police cars turned the corner and went in the same direction that Sawyer, Kate and Miles had gone.

* * *

"Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?" asked Kate in frustration.

"It's the cops. They found out that we broke into that house last night, and then they started shooting at us," replied Sawyer.

"Miles are you okay?" she asked.

"I feel great," he said sarcastically, still putting pressure on his arm, trying to stop the flow of blood.

"Oh well, look on the bright side," said Sawyer jokingly, "How could things get any worse right?"

[FLASH-FORWARD]

In the pitch blackness Sawyer could only feel the blood trickling down the side of his face. He could hear the humming of electronics and a dog barking. He opened his eyes but the darkness did not lift.

"What the hell?" he mumbled. He felt very disorientated and the scar on his face stung painfully. He realised quickly that he was in a confined space and started thrashing his fists at the wood around him. Soon he made a breakthrough. Knuckles bleeding, he pushed apart the splintered casket that had been a coffin before he had smashed it from the inside out, and stood up, taking in his surroundings.

There were boxes, crates and cages all around him of various shapes and sizes. Most of the cages had animals in them. There were even a few police cars stored in there. He searched his pockets but found only a pen.

His memory rushed back to him and he guessed correctly where he was- a plane's cargo hold. When the plane landed he was going to die. He sat down on the cold metal floor next to a dead body in a suit that had been left on the floor- the coffins original occupant. He should have taken the advice that Kate had given to him before it had all gone wrong.

Then arms grabbed him from behind, trying to strangle him to death. He quickly grabbed the pen he'd found in his pocket. His eyes were now watering and he couldn't breathe. He thrashed out with the pen, plunging it into his enemy.

As the attacker fell to the floor Sawyer stood up again. He closed his eyes and did something that he very rarely did; pray. He really needed a miracle.

Suddenly, the plane hit turbulence.

* * *

**Well, more chapters coming soon, thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a review to say what you think about the story so far!**


	8. Motel

**Sorry for another long wait between chapters and I've only got a short chapter today. Thanks to anyone who gave feedback and enjoy :)**

"Looks like we lost them," said Kate gazing through the back window of Sawyer's car.

"Yeah," he replied from the driver's seat, "I think we threw them off at the bridge."

"So… what now?" she asked.

"We go to New York. And we get Clementine back."

"What if it is a trap?"

"That's what the guns are for," he said plainly.

"Well if we kill the kidnapper, we'll never find out where your daughter is."

"We're not gonna kill him. Just injure and question him. But none of this matters anyway."

"And why's that?"

"Because I know it's not a trap. I've just got this feeling, since the break-in, it's like I know the kidnapper, like I understand him. Whatever he's doing, he's doing it for a reason Kate. We just don't know what that is yet."

"What about me?" asked Miles with his eyes closed, "I'm still conscious you know,"

"You know better than I do we can't take you to a hospital," said Sawyer, "It's far too-"

"-Risky, yeah yeah. Don't worry about me though, I think I'll be okay."

The car carried on and Kate began to fall asleep in the back.

[Flashback]

Sawyer stood back a little to appreciate the size of the LCD television. 42 inches would certainly look good in his new flat.

Though he shouldn't have really been spending too much money at this time, he was bored sick of having nothing to do.

He made his way to the checkout desk and pulled out his wallet, deciding that the TV he had been looking at was definitely the one for him. There was a short queue of three or four people in front of him so he waited at the back of the line thinking about what he was going to have for dinner. His eyes wandered around the room and were drawn to a young man who had just walked in. He looked nervous and had his hands in his pockets. He was heading straight for the desk, ignoring the queue completely.

"Hey pal, wait your turn," said the guy standing at the front of the line.

The nervous looking man finally pulled his hands from his pockets using one of them to push the protester out of the way and the other to hold a 9mm gun to the head of the woman at the till.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" he shouted.

"Shit," muttered Sawyer under his breath. The last thing he needed was to be held up.

The woman was shakily putting the money into a bag that the thief was holding. She'd obviously never been robbed before. He noticed a wedding ring too and knew why she was handing over the cash so willingly. It also reminded him of Juliet for the first time in a couple of weeks. He felt angry at himself. On the day that Juliet died he should have persuaded her to leave with him- he'd kept trying to convince her but in the end he had just stood by and watched things go wrong as always.

The man had now got all the money from the register and began to run out of the shop.

Sawyer clenched his fist and sprinted after him. It only took a moment before the robber noticed he was being chased and he immediately upped his pace as he barged past several shoppers in the mall.

A few people spotted the gun and screamed, backing away.

They turned a corner down a set of stairs and the thief took a stumble and fell to the bottom. Sirens could be heard outside several cops ran in.

Sawyer finally reached the ground floor to have a gun being pointed in his face.

"I'll shoot you. I swear to God I will,"

"Oh really? And what about these guys?" he gestured to all the police officers watching. "Forget it kid. It's over."

A few minutes later the thief was in the back of a cop car being taken to the station and Sawyer had just finished being questioned. He began to walk towards the mall's exit.

"That was some chase," said a tall dark man approaching him from the crowd. Sawyer looked at him.

"You saw it then."

"Yeah. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a cop at some point,"

Sawyer laughed.

"Are you serious? Me? A cop? No way."

"Maybe some time in the future then," he smiled.

"Yeah right," replied Sawyer, walking out the door.

[Present]

Kate sat up and looked around. She had been lying on a bed in a motel room. She got up and noticed an empty beer bottle on the table at the other side of the room by a window. She wandered over and peered through the curtains. It was dark outside and pouring down with rain.

A toilet flushed nearby and she turned startled to see Sawyer emerge from the bathroom.

"Oh, you're awake."

"Yeah." She smiled. "Did you-"

"I carried you in here. I didn't want to wake you."

"Where's Miles?"

"He's in my room. I was just in here until you woke. Which now you have." He smiled awkwardly. "I should go now."

"Wait-" said Kate. "Did you tell them our names?"

"Oh no don't worry I gave them fakes just in case."

Sawyer picked up the empty beer bottle and was about to leave when there was a knock at the door. He looked through the peep hole and opened the door. It was Miles.

"Hey, what's up?"

"What's up? This… is what's up," he pulled up his sleeve to show the bullet hole which had part of the bullet sticking out.

"Crap, get in here," replied Sawyer, quickly closing the door.

Kate came over.

"What happened?"

"I tried to take it out with my hands and it got stuck." He winced as she touched it lightly. "Do you have tweezers?" he asked.

"Yeah sure," she got her bag out and took a pair of tweezers from inside. She handed them to Miles who sat down on the bed.

"Do you also have a mirror?"

"Yes- here,"

Miles carefully wedged the tool into the wound and put pressure on one end.

Sawyer watched from a distance while he gasped in pain. Suddenly the piece of bullet flew across the room and hit the floor.

"Aargh!" growled Miles. He quickly put pressure on the hole again as blood began to drizzle out.

"Keep it down for Gods sakes," said Sawyer

"You want me to keep it down? Do I need to remind you that if someone had just changed his Goddamn shirt I wouldn't have to pull a bullet out of my arm!" his temper was finally showing.

Sawyer was getting angry too.

"I didn't think I had time,"

"You just can't accept that _you _messed up for once"

"For once? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You always get all the credit for everything!"

"If you hadn't left the guns at the station we wouldn't have got caught out anyway!"

"This whole thing wouldn't have started if you hadn't pissed someone off enough to steal your daughter!"

Sawyer had been completely ready to spit out his next insult but when silence struck and he registered what Miles had just said he realised that the fight was over. His partner had just crossed a line.

"Get out." He said quietly. Kate looked at the floor glad she had decided to stay out of the argument.

Miles moved past the bed and threw his room key on the table. He walked back to the door, opened it and slammed it behind him without another word.

Kate looked at Sawyer. It would be just the two of them from now on.

[Flashback]

Kate walked down the hallway past several cardboard boxes into the half-painted living room of her and Claire's new house. It was great and the two had picked it out a while ago but waited until they had saved up enough money to get it.

It was four bedrooms with a large living area and connected kitchen. The house had two bathrooms and no stairs- Claire had been worried about Aaron falling down them.

Claire was with Aaron and smiled when Kate came in.

"So, how did it go?" she asked Kate.

"I think it went okay," she replied, "I was a bit nervous just before they sent me in but once I was actually in front of them I calmed down,"

"Nervous? The Kate Austen I know doesn't get nervous," teased Claire.

"Yeah well, job interviews are scary."

"I'm sure you did great. Besides if you don't get it, who cares? It's just a stupid desk job."

Kate knelt down next to Aaron.

"Hey, little guy. Did you have a good day helping your mum unpack?"

Evidently he had though rather than setting up the television or coffee table he had obviously decided to unpack all his toys first and now had them covering a small space on the floor.

Aaron had now gotten used to referring to both Claire and Kate as his mom as although they weren't romantically involved they had decided it would be a lot more simple than attempting to explain the true situation to a three year old.

Kate stood up and walked to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of water. The sound of water trickling made her think of rain. Rain made her think of the day she had left the island for a second time. It had only been two months ago and Jack's face was still painfully present in her mind.

Kate started breathing again and opened up her eyes. Claire was leaning over her.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"What happened?" said Kate sitting up. She was still in the kitchen.

"You fainted. It was probably from the stress today. You should go and lie down."

She couldn't be bothered to argue and instead followed Claire's advice. Thanking God that the beds had already been set up, she collapsed onto the soft mattress in her room and before she knew it she was back inside her head thinking about everything that was going on at the time.

[Present]

The rainfall had not stopped and showed no signs of doing so any time soon. Sawyer could hear it splashing against the window outside as he sat on his bed reading a bible that he had found in the drawers of his motel room. He didn't consider it as an amazing book but it was the only reading material he had. There was a knock on the door suddenly. He looked at the clock and saw that it was one o' clock in the morning. He placed down the bible on the page he had got to.

Sawyer opened the door- just as he had guessed it was Kate.

"Sorry did I wake you?"

"No," he shook his head, "not at all. I was just reading. What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. Can I come in?"

"Yeah sure," he replied closing the door behind her. The two sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry," she said a second time, "but ever since Clementine was taken- I guess it just brings back memories you know. I can't sleep well or anything- just like how it was in the first year since we left that island. Everything's rushing back. I thought that getting on with my life would be a good thing but it's just not quite what I thought it would be like."

"You were sleeping fine earlier," Sawyer joked. "But yeah I know the feeling." He said. "I felt it for a long time too… But I never let it overtake me."

"Why not?" asked Kate. She was looking into his eyes and he paused before answering.

"Because I promised you I wouldn't." she was reminded of the kiss that they had shared after he had promised that he would not turn into Jack on the night they got back to LA. She could remember every detail.

Before Kate could control herself she had leaned in and pressed her lips to Sawyer's.

He was surprised by this but did not try to stop her.

They lay back on the bed and Kate climbed on top of Sawyer kissing him fiercely as he moved his hands up and down her body. She took off his top and they switched so that he was on top.

"Kate?"

"What is it?"

"I can't do this…" he got off the bed and put his shirt back on. It was now his turn to apologise. "I'm sorry but you're not in the right frame of mind. And neither am I. If we did something we'd regret it. Especially you- you have a son! And what about Claire?"

Kate thought for a moment. She seemed disappointed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Can I at least sleep here tonight?"

"Of course you can. I just don't want you getting all confused."

Sawyer already wished he hadn't backed out although he knew it was probably the right thing to do.

Kate had wondered whether she should tell Sawyer that she had never felt the same way about Claire as she had about him. But upon further thought she realised it would be stupid to get together with Sawyer at this time. They had to focus on finding Clementine and she could focus on her own life afterwards.

Sawyer got back into the bed and started to read again. He wondered what Miles was doing at that moment.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be up at some point and remember that all feedback is appreciated :D**


	9. New York

**Finished another chapter! We are very close to finding out the kidnapper's identity...**

**I have spent a lot of time in the last month or so developing the overall story arc and I think you will enjoy where this is going. This chapter is mainly build up for upcoming chapters but there are many plotlines going on. Some are obviously happening now, there are even more starting up and there are ones that have begun even if you haven't realised it yet... And on that note I present Chapter Nine- New York.**

* * *

Sawyer lay staring at the ceiling in his motel room. It was 7 am. He could feel his leg touching Kate's and did not dare it move in case she woke. He tilted his head downwards to look at her.

She was breathing in and out softly and every few minutes she would twitch or slightly reposition herself.

The sun shone strongly through the curtains and reflected off of the room's cream coloured walls.

Sawyer wished he could stay there forever watching Kate as she slept. The two had gotten through the storm together and he had a feeling that there might be another one before the ordeal of the kidnapping was over.

He suddenly became aware that Kate had woken up and was looking up at him curiously.

"Hey." She said sleepily.

"Hey." He replied. "So you did get to sleep in the end then."

"Not without nightmares." She said, sitting up and putting a hand to her head. "What time is it?" she asked.

"Seven. We should probably get ready to leave."

She got out of bed and said "Okay, I'll go to my room and wash then I'll meet you in the hall in about fifteen minutes?"

"Sure," he said.

Kate poked her head out of the door before she left Sawyer's room as she was still only wearing her pyjama shorts and top from the night before.

Once she was gone Sawyer got up and dressed still thinking about what they had both almost done last night. He got an erection just thinking about it so he tried not to. After all, this weekend was an important one. On Sunday, he would meet his daughter's kidnapper and hopefully get her back.

[Flashback]

Another enemy jumped out from behind a wall nearby and Sawyer span around quickly to shoot him between the eyes. His aiming was perfect. He spotted another two bad guys in higher windows of the building to his left and took them out.

He was sweating and out of breath but if he had counted correctly, the fight was over. He checked his watch.

"Yeah!" he shouted. Miles came in clapping.

"Nice one man, looks like you beat me!" he said.

"Don't feel too bad. You can't really simulate these experiences anyway. Especially when the guys you're shooting are made of wood."

"True, true." Replied Miles patting his friend on the back. Some other officers came onto the set and congratulated Sawyer on his time. This had been his final test and he had passed with flying colours. It was official. He was becoming a cop.

It had been a few months after the experience at the mall until he had finally felt confident about becoming a cop. Then he and Miles had gone through many weeks of training tests together and done well in all of them.

At the end of the day the two got told the date of their ceremony for completing the course.

* * *

That night there was a party at Miles' apartment. A lot of people turned up but luckily, it was a big apartment.

"Congratulations James," said Kate who had just arrived. He look up at her from his seat on the sofa.

"Kate! I was starting to think you weren't gonna come," he said, standing up to hug her. "Claire couldn't make it then?"

"No she says she's sorry but we couldn't find someone to look after Aaron at such short notice and he obviously can't be left alone,"

To be fair, the party had been arranged very quickly and had not been planned until that afternoon.

The party went on for several hours and one of the highlights of the evening was when Richard, who had said he wasn't coming, made a surprise appearance. Sawyer enjoyed catching up with all of the guests and just to celebrate which he rarely did.

Frank Lapidus also turned up and won a variety of different drinking games.

"So what's been going on with you?" Sawyer asked Kate in the early hours of the morning.

"Not much. I've been working a desk job for a while. In fact today I got offered a promotion,"

"Really? You should have said something earlier! This party could be for you too!"

"They're trying to promote me to the New York division." She said with a bit of a slur. She was avoiding looking Sawyer in the eye as she knew that she would not be telling him this if she hadn't had a few drinks.

"Oh." He said. "That's uh- Have you told Claire?"

"No."

"And are you going to take it?" She paused and finally found the courage to meet his eyes.

"I… I don't know."

[Present]

Sawyer snapped the chocolate bar in half and gave one bit to Kate. It was midday and after realising that they had had no breakfast he had suggested they pull over and get an early lunch at a service station only to find that upon arriving neither of them were very hungry and they had agreed to just get something sweet.

It was odd as both of them were usually quite healthy but they were being affected by a very frustrating situation.

Sawyer had used his maths skills to work out that they didn't have enough time to go to a motel for the second night and instead Kate could try and sleep in the car as he would continue their drive and in the morning Kate would take the wheel.

The hours in the car dragged on and Sawyer and Kate would rarely speak. Miles would usually have something to offer- whether it be his occasional complaining or comic relief to keep the mood a bit lighter but since he had left, their objectives seemed further away than ever which depressed them more than anything.

At about midnight, Sawyer stopped to get some coffee. He had been slowly falling asleep in the driver's seat and knew that doing so would be irresponsible. After this he felt much more awake and carried on speeding through the country until dawn. When Kate took over it was Sawyer's turn to get some sleep. The journey seemed to last for a lifetime and neither of them were a hundred percent sure of what was waiting for them in New York.

* * *

"Sawyer. Sawyer wake up."

"What?" he asked becoming alert quickly.

"We're here." Said Kate. He looked through the windscreen and saw the huge city silhouetted against the sunset.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Half six." She told him. He felt odd. Something Kate had said was different…

When had she started calling him Sawyer again? He tried to put it out of his mind. All that mattered now was that they found the building they were meant to go to.

[Flashback]

Claire came into Kate's room holding a glass of orange juice.

"What time did you get back last night?" she asked.

"I don't remember," groaned Kate in reply. Her head felt like it was on fire. Hangovers were one of the things she hated most.

Claire came over to the bed and handed her the juice.

"You said you weren't going to drink." She said.

"I know. It's just- I've been feeling…" Kate trailed off.

"You can tell me anything you know. You're my best friend."

"I got offered a promotion… In the New York department."

"When?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

"Why didn't you tell me straight away."

"Because I knew would try and talk me out of it."

"So you're taking it then?"

"No. Maybe. I'm not sure."

"Look- Kate. If you really want to go I'm not going to stop you. After all, I think you've helped me so much that I might be able to cope on my own. At least for a while. How long would it be for?"

"It's a two year contract. But I could come and visit every summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I'd phone every week. I promise."

"So you're going?"

"You're right Claire. I think you're ready to do this on your own. You're a great mother."

"I'm going to miss you."

"You too." They hugged and started to get tearful.

"How long before you have to leave?" Claire sniffed.

"A couple of weeks."

"Okay. But I think I know someone who's going to miss you even more than me…"

She was referring of course to Aaron. Kate knew she would find it hard not to think about him in New York. But the job paid amazingly well and she felt that it may well be time that she start over.

[Present]

After Sawyer had fed a parking meter he and Kate set off onto the streets of the city.

Luckily Sunday was not an extremely busy day in New York and they didn't have too much trouble getting around.

Finding the right building was something that neither of them had given much thought although evidently they should have as it was turning out to be a lot easier said than done.

"Shit, we've only got a few hours left and I can't see that Goddamn skyscraper anywhere around," said Sawyer checking his watch.

"It's okay, it's okay," Kate reassured him.

"No it isn't!" he replied. "Are you sure you can't remember exactly where it was?"

"I don't know. It's been around two years since I was here last." She looked around. They were both utterly lost.

"Wait a second-" said Sawyer suddenly. "You said you had to walk past it in the morning to get to your work building,"

"Yeah…"

"So why don't we go to your old apartment block,-" Then Kate caught on.

"-, and follow the route! Good thinking," Sawyer shrugged modestly.

"Do you remember the address of the apartment block?"

"Yup." She replied confidently. "Come on, we can get a cab." And so they called over a yellow taxi and got in.

* * *

The ride took longer than Sawyer had expected but finally they paid the driver and came back out onto the streets. By this time it was dark.

"So…" he said. "Which way did you go?"

"This way," she said pointing to the right. They went down several streets turning corners and over bridges.

"You used to walk this route every day?" asked Sawyer, struggling for breath.

Kate just smiled and kept going.

Sawyer looked around and then he saw it. After seeing it's picture so many times he was starting to think he would never see it in reality.

"Over there!" he shouted. Kate turned around and saw it too.

"You ready for this?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He replied.

"Ugh, please no more clichés." She said rolling her eyes. Sawyer laughed and they both headed for the building.

[Flashback]

Kate looked out of the plane window at New York below. She was coming in for a landing. The flight had been short but she was glad to get out as she had become uneasy about flying anywhere these days.

Although she had said goodbye only a few hours earlier she already wished she could see Aaron and Claire again. At one point she had even suggested that they could come with her but their life was in LA and that's where they would be staying.

* * *

The next day was Kate's first day at her new workplace and she set off early as she did not know how long it would take to walk there. It turned out to be a bit further than she was expecting but she didn't mind as she liked a little bit of exercise in the morning.

When she arrived at her office space she was met with a warm welcome and the work was surprisingly easy but she guessed that they were going to ease her into more amounts of it later on.

She had packed a lunch the previous evening and sat down to eat it during her lunch break. As she took a bite from a sandwich she had made she noticed a dark haired guy coming up to her.

"Hi, I'm Mark." He said, "Enjoying your first day here?"

"Yeah thank you." There was a silence and they smiled awkwardly.

"So you're not going to tell me your name?"

"Well you knew it was my first day so I'm guessing you know-"

"It's nice to meet you Kate." He said extending his arm to shake her hand.

"So you just came over to ask how I was doing?"

"Actually no. I came over to ask for some of your sandwich. I forgot my lunch today and I'm trying to stay healthy."

"Knock yourself out," said Kate passing the remaining half to him.

"Thank you so much,"

"You're welcome."

As he finished the final bite he nodded at her to indicate that it had tasted good.

"I wish I could repay you in some way," he said.

"Don't worry about it."

"Ah, I know. I'm meeting up with some friends after work. How about you come by and meet the gang?"

"Yeah okay." She answered. She felt good that she was already making friends and was looking forward to the end of the day.

[Present]

As they got closer to the building Kate and Sawyer could see that it was in fact a hotel.

"Well here we are." Said Kate as they came into the lobby. "Time?"

"It's eleven." Said Sawyer after checking his watch for what seemed like the millionth time that day. His heart was pounding loudly and quickly in his chest. To say he was nervous would be a severe understatement. "Have you got the, uh…" he looked uneasily at the man behind the desk. "…Guns?" He mouthed silently.

She nodded.

They then went to the desk and the man behind it became alert.

"How can I help you?" he asked.

"Can we use a bathroom?" said Sawyer.

"Of course sir, there is one that is usually used by the staff- it's on the eighth floor."

"Thanks." It was all too easy.

He and Kate headed for the stair well. It wasn't very well decorated and there was a nasty stench but it was to be expected from a three star.

They kept going upward until finally they reached the top, next to the door to the roof. There was no CCTV in this part of the building so Kate felt safe enough to take out the two guns from her bag.

"This one was going to be for Miles," she said trying to give one of them to Sawyer.

"No. I have to be unarmed."

"Why?"

"Cos I want him to trust me." He said.

She reluctantly put it back and held the other tightly.

"Is it locked?" she asked gesturing to the door. He shook his head. "How do you know?"

He pointed to the floor where a padlock (which had clearly been tampered with) was lying.

"Looks like Mr kidnapper's already here." He whispered.

"Good luck." She whispered back. Before she knew it Sawyer had opened the door and gone out onto the roof and she was on her own.

It wasn't long before she noticed a small grate on the wall that she could peer through. It was hard to see anything past the tiny bars. She could just about make out Sawyer's figure going over to the roof's edge and peering over. Suddenly she spotted another figure- a man she didn't recognise- creeping up behind him. She almost called out from instinct but knew she couldn't alert the man that she was there. Her only choice was to go onto the roof herself and attack him. She reached for the door handle but then she heard something behind her on the stairs.

She span around and saw several men in suits and at the front-

"Mark?"

He was speechless.

"You know this bitch?" said one of the other men as he rushed forward and pulled a bag over her head. Everything went dark and Kate screamed loudly.

* * *

**L O S T**

**Classic Lost style ending right? REMEMBER- You don't need to have a fanfic account to leave a review and they are very much appreciated! Until next time...**


	10. A Chance Meeting

**Sorry about this but in true lost fashion I've had to back up a bit and although this is a much shorter chapter than usual, it will show you what happened after the motel argument from Miles' point of view.**

Miles moved past the bed and threw his room key on the table. He walked back to the door, opened it and slammed it behind him without another word.

He started down the motel hallway, still feeling pissed off at Sawyer. How could he blame anything that had gone wrong on him? Fair enough- that last thing Miles had said was out of line but the rest of it was true.

Half way down the hall he stopped and shouted in frustration, attacking the wall with his fists. What the hell had he been thinking? He could hardly go back now, not after that. If he went back to Los Angeles or the cops would catch him straight away. So where did that leave him?

About five minutes later he saw Sawyer's car through the darkness in the car park outside the motel. He felt tempted to damage it in some way but refrained from doing so.

He looked left and right down the road. It was the middle of the night, it was tipping with rain and he still had a bullet hole in his arm. He hesitated and wondered which way to go. Well as long as he wanted to stay away from the police, going back to LA was not an option even though it was a lot closer to him than New York.

So he decided to keep walking down the route that had been decided and hopefully find a new place to stay. He suddenly felt very hungry and decided if he saw anywhere he could he eat, he would stop for a cheap meal.

[Flashback]

Miles had a huge headache. He couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or not and he generally felt a bit sick. He stank of alcohol and his whole body was aching. Suddenly he heard a muffled woman's voice coming from nearby and a couple of seconds later bright light flooded the cupboard that he had slept in.

He shivered from the change in temperature. Why wasn't he wearing a shirt?

"Everyone else is gone. You've got to clean up this mess you made." Said the woman.

Miles squinted against the brightness and stretched out his legs.

"What?" he asked.

"Enjoy." She laughed and headed out of the room. A few moments later he heard the door to his apartment open and close.

He finally mustered the strength to pull himself up and away from the corner of his cupboard and climb out into the room.

He stumbled a little and looked around. His curtains were broken, there was spinach and some sort of shiny paint-like liquid on the floor and apparently someone had thought it would be funny to try bowling with beer bottles as pins and a melon as the ball.

Miles headed to the bathroom and almost slipped on the wet floor. He tried to shut the bathroom door but the lock mechanism was broken. Shit.

Eventually he decided that the best way to avoid the problem was to ignore it for a while and after putting on some suitable clothes, he left the apartment and went down the street to the coffee house.

He leaned back in the soft chair and closed his eyes trying to phase out the pain in his back and listen to the sound of the traffic outside.

"Now, how did I guess I'd find you here?" said Sawyer.

"Hey man. Just let me relax." Groaned Miles in reply.

"Let you relax? Oh, I was under the impression that you'd still be celebrating the turkey you got last night."

"The what I got last night?"

"The turkey- you know, in bowling. Three strikes in a row. A triple."

"Right." He said. "Of course. I saw you speaking to Kate. What were you talking about?"

Sawyer sat down opposite Miles and leaned back in his own chair.

"She uh- she said she'd been offered a promotion."

"Wow, lucky her…"

"Not really- she said it was in New York."

"Ah, that could be a problem," he said, "that explains why she was drinking, she usually likes to keep sober at parties. In fact I'm willing to bet that if she wasn't offered that promotion she wouldn't have even turned up to our little party."

"Really?"

"Yeah sure. I assume she hadn't told Claire?"

"Nope."

"Exactly. She was avoiding her."

"Sometimes I think you can read the minds of the living too you know."

"Ha, I wish."

"So," said Sawyer, "one week of freedom, then we get to work."

"Right." Nodded Miles.

They both drank some of their coffee and Sawyer stared past Miles' shoulder at the window. It was good weather for February- surprisingly sunny.

"What's the date today?" he asked.

"The… 20th. No- 21st." said Miles.

"Cool."

"Um, will you-"

"No."

"You hadn't even heard what I was going to say!"

"You were going to ask me for help cleaning up your apartment. But I'm going to see Cassidy and Clem today."

"You've got a few hours though,"

"Yeah but… Cleaning… It's not really my thing."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Well in that case," said Miles, finishing the drink and standing up, "I'd better go and get started."

"Have fun." Joked Sawyer. Miles replied by holding up his middle finger as he was going out the door.

[Present]

Miles came into the café soaking wet and breathless. He approached the counter to find that luckily, there was no queue. He ordered a burger and pulled out his wallet. As he waited for the food to arrive he looked around at the other people in the café.

There was a mother and father trying to keep their two little boys under control, a young couple laughing and chatting and a Scotsman on his own, talking into his cell phone.

Though it had only been a few minutes since he had ordered, Miles had already become impatient before his meal arrived. When it finally did, he headed for a table across the room.

Just as he did this he saw a woman and her five year old son coming out of the bathroom. The woman looked strangely familiar.

Then he recognised her and he realised how stupid he had been. If he and Sawyer had just contacted her in the first place they might have already found Clementine. She had enough power to find anyone after all. Her name was Penelope Widmore.

She went towards the table where the Scotsman was on his phone and sat down.

Miles rushed over just as the man was hanging up his phone.

"Can I help you?" he asked in his strong accent.

"Hang on," said Penny. "Miles? What are you doing here?"

"Wait, you know him?" asked her husband.

"Desmond, this is Miles. He was one of the people who got off the island in that Ajira plane. Seriously Miles, what's going on?"

"We need your help." He said, putting his tray down on the table and completely forgetting how hungry he was.

"Who's 'we'?" she asked.

"Me, Sawyer and Kate."

"You know Sawyer and Kate?" asked Desmond.

"Yeah, but that's not important right now," Miles replied. "It's about Sawyer's daughter, she's been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? Why would anyone want to kidnap Sawyer's daughter?"

"We don't know."

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Who?"

"Sawyer. Is he here?"

"Uh, well we kinda fell out. I left him and Kate at a motel around an hour ago."

"How did you know I'd be here?" she said.

"I didn't!" he told her. "I was just coming in for a burger and here you are."

"You said Kate and Sawyer were at a motel,"

"Yeah?"

"Were you going somewhere?"

"New York."

"Why?"

"He's supposed to meet the kidnapper there."

"Have you told the police about this meeting?"

"Actually, we may have pissed off the police a little bit."

"So you're on the run?"

"Yeah."

"How did the kidnapper contact you to arrange this?"

"Look, we might not have time for this. Do you have a car with you?"

"Yes,"

"Then I'll explain on the way."

"On the way where?" she asked.

"New York. We've got to get there ahead of everyone else."

[Flashback]

Miles opened up his brand new laptop at his desk in the police station. It was his first day as a cop and he was feeling a lot less nervous than he had been expecting. Sawyer approached.

"Hey," he said, "How's your first day going? Mine's great."

"Yeah, it's good. I met Bill, the head detective and Jeff in evidence."

"So what are you doing now?"

"Well I'm going on a patrol in an hour or so and I'm using the time I've got now to research that… other, case we've been talking about. Remember?"

"Ah, right." Said Sawyer knowingly.

Miles was of course making a reference to Nikki and Paulo's diamonds. It would seem that he had decided to take it upon himself to do some research on who they had got the diamonds from originally and if there really was any rightful owner.

"Well, good luck with that."

"So what are you doing?"

"I'm about to interview some guy who was in a bar fight last night."

"Wow, big job for the first day,"

"Yeah I suppose I just don't enjoy sitting around and doing nothing when I could be laying down the law."

"Hmm." Agreed Miles.

"I'll leave you to it then." Said Sawyer, wandering off.

It was Miles' first time on the database and he didn't really know where to start on his trail to find who the diamonds belonged to. After a few minutes he guessed that the best thing to start off by doing was to look up Nikki and Paulo. He typed in their names and began his own little investigation.

[Present]

"You want us to take you to New York in our car? Now?" asked Desmond. He was getting annoyed at how sudden all of this was.

"Yes." Replied Miles. "This is serious- we need to make sure that we're ready for the kidnapper."

"Look," said Penny, "Why don't we get to LA and take a private jet. It's much quicker that way."

"But what if the cops catch me?"

"I'll make sure that you don't." she reassured him.

"You're actually considering jumping into this?" said Desmond.

"We can't just do nothing." She replied.

"What if it were Charlie?"

"That's different."

"How so? Wouldn't you want all the help you could get if our son was taken?"

"Penny, if you really want to get us involved in this, I am not going to stop you. But I'm telling you, as your husband, that I don't see this ending well."

Miles watched them intently. Penny turned to him.

"We'll take the jet tomorrow morning. For now, we need to drive to LA. And then you can give us a bit of an idea about some of the details of the situation."

"Thank you." Said Miles.

Desmond looked slightly disappointed that his wife had chosen to go against what he was hoping for but he had promised to stick with her through the good and bad and that he was going to do.

As they were leaving the café a few minutes later Miles wondered what Sawyer was doing at that moment…

* * *

**Hmmmm interesting... To make up for how uninteresting this chap was, I promise that in the next one, the kidnapper's identity will be revealed. For now, all I will say is that he has his own article in the lost encyclopedia. Thanks for reading this installment and please do take the time to leave a review, it will only take a few seconds and you don't need a fanfic account to write one. Thanks :)**


	11. Chapter Eleven

**So here we are. The kidnapper's identity is about to be revealed. There are no flashbacks in this chapter due to a lot of dialogue and I didn't want to make it too long. There is plenty of room in the next couple of chapters for all of the storylines to catch up with each other anyway. **

* * *

The cool night air sent a chill through Sawyer's body as it surrounded him the moment he had closed the door behind him and gone out onto the roof of the hotel. It really was a beautiful night and he could hear the distant noises of traffic being gently carried upward on a swift breeze of wind.

He felt so lonely up there that he almost believed for a second that he was alone. He wondered how the streets below would look from the height that he was at and wandered to the edge of the roof top. He leaned over at a small angle and stared downwards at all the tiny lights that were so far away. If he fell over the railing free edge he would most certainly be falling to his death. With this thought fresh in his mind, Sawyer began to slowly back away.

However, to his shock and dismay he felt himself bump into someone behind him and stumbled forwards instead. Quickly the man behind him grabbed him and pulled him back from his close call with an early demise.

The kidnapper threw Sawyer onto the ground and loomed over him laughing at the incident that had just occurred.

Sawyer tried to make out who the man was but his eyes were finding it difficult to re-adjust.

"I saved your life Sawyer!" he cheered. "It looks like you owe me one."

His eyes were still busy focussing when he heard Kate scream from the stair well and a struggle going on. He leapt to his feet and was about to run over there but before he knew it, the kidnapper had pulled out a gun and was pointing it at his back.

Sawyer paused and slowly turned around, finally seeing the face of the man who had stolen his daughter from him. He was able to match the face to a name instantly and identified the thief, whom he had not seen for over six years, at lightning speed.

"Hibbs." He grimaced.

* * *

Kate span around and saw several men in suits coming up the steps and at the front-

"Mark?" He was speechless.

"You know this bitch?" said one of the other men as he rushed forward and pulled a bag over her head. Everything went dark and Kate screamed loudly.

She felt the guns being taken off of her. She had been so shocked to see Mark again that she had completely forgotten to defend herself in any way and now she had to face the consequences. Even if she had tried to use the guns, she was too heavily outnumbered for them to do any good. All of the men who had taken her captive also had guns and it would have been stupid to start such an uneven gun fight in such a confined space.

She continued to scream, shout and lash out but knew it would not help the situation very much at all. The only thing it would achieve would be to let Sawyer know that she was being taken.

Kate didn't expect him to come and rescue her, not if he was dealing with the kidnapper-n she just wanted him to know.

The men did not speak any more as they dragged her down the stairs of the hotel. She still had the look on Mark's face imprinted on her mind and couldn't wait to have a go at him. After all, he was working with a sick psycho kidnapper on some sort of scheme to capture her and Sawyer. At this point she was looking forward to any explanation she could get to all of this.

The group finally reached the bottom of the stairs and the men were escorting her across the lobby.

"Good work guys." Came the voice of the man behind the desk. She should have known he was in on it. The building probably hadn't been used as a real hotel in years.

She heard the familiar sound of the sliding doors opening as she finally got outside into the cold evening winds.

Sawyer had been so sure that the whole thing wasn't a trap that they had fallen right into it, she thought while crossing the car park.

Though Kate didn't necessarily miss Miles, it would have been nice to not feel so alone as she got pushed into a car which was shortly driven away.

That was it. They were now getting further and further away from the building and Sawyer.

From here on she had no idea what was going to happen. All bets were off.

* * *

"Hello Sawyer." Said Hibbs smiling. "I'm sorry that my men had to take away your young lady friend but to be fair, I did warn you to come alone."

"What the hell have you done with my daughter?" asked Sawyer angrily.

"Don't worry, Clementine is safe… For now."

"Don't you dare say her name again."

"I'm the one with the gun. I'll say whatever the fuck I want!"

Sawyer scowled. "It simple. You do everything I tell you to and I will give her back to you safe and sound."

"Safe and sound? How am I meant to trust anything you say? The last two times I followed your stupid instructions, I got nothing that you promised me. First, the Tampa job, then, you get me to kill some muppet just because he owed you money- now this. It's just the same thing over and over. I'm not letting you trick me a third time."

"You're wrong." Said Hibbs.

"And what, exactly, am I wrong about?" asked Sawyer.

"This time it's not the same."

"Why, because you're going to live up to your word?"

"No, it's because this time you don't have a choice. If you do all I ask this time there is a chance that I might actually keep my promises, if you don't even try I will torture your daughter and your friends in front of you until you do. So I need to know what your choice is gonna be."

"It depends on what you're asking of me this time around."

"Well, frankly, when I found out that you had been on Oceanic 815 I was relieved. I had been shitting myself senseless worrying about that temper of yours. I'd tricked you into killing an innocent man and I knew you would work out that he wasn't who I told you he was. Then I decided that I would take a well deserved break from the world of cons and scams. For a while I even thought about retiring completely. I definitely had enough money to. You finally got off that island three years ago and I assumed, correctly I might add, that you had forgotten about your need for revenge on me. So I continued living the life of a rich man and that should have been the end of it. But you know what, I got so bored in those few years. I didn't realise it at first but conning people isn't just what I do to make money, it's a hobby, a way of living. So about a year ago I had a crazy dream about an amazing steal and when I awoke I simply couldn't get the idea out of my head. So I started writing things down. Notes at first, annotated blue prints. I started planning out the entire thing; I became obsessed with it for God's sakes. However, soon I became aware that the job was a little… complicated. I noticed that to get someone good enough to pull this off I'd need someone with skill. Someone with experience."

"Let me guess." Said Sawyer. "This is where I come in."

"Bingo." Replied Hibbs. "I needed you. But how oh how would I convince you to work with me again after our history together. I knew you would not willingly help me out on this one and that was where, for the first time, I came to halt in my detailed plans for the job. You were the most difficult component to bring into play. I must admit that unfortunately I was stumped. I have problems with basic logic you see and I immediately jumped to the conclusion that if you wouldn't do it willingly, you wouldn't be an option. It took me a long time to develop this intricate idea of a kidnapping. I did a lot of research and decided that if your friend Miss Austen found out that your child had been taken, she would rush to your side. So I needed a clue that only she could work out. After even more research I knew that I would need to bring you both here, to New York, as she had worked here for four months and I specifically picked a building that she had seen every day, one that she would be sure to recognise."

"Why didn't you just take her then? Why not take Kate and screw the trail of breadcrumbs?"

"The 'trail of breadcrumbs' that you refer to was a way that I came up with to communicate with you. I guessed straight away that you would start your own investigation. Why else would I call you if I didn't think you'd trace it? And I didn't take her as I noticed that you and her had lost touch and you may not have been as good friends as perhaps you once were. Luckily you've made quite a mess of things yourself. Getting chased by the police I hear?"

"The cops didn't need to be on our side anyway." Retorted Sawyer.

"Would you just listen to yourself?" said Hibbs. "The cops? I think you're forgetting that you are one of them."

There was silence for a few seconds as Sawyer thought about this. It was in fact true that he hadn't felt like a cop in the last few days.

"You still haven't properly answered my question." He said. "What are you asking me to do? What is this job you've been raving on about?"

"Now that… is an excellent question." Hibbs said, finally putting away his gun. "I think we should go somewhere warmer to discuss this."

"Warmer?"

"Yes." He said, going towards the stair well. "Why don't you come with me down to the car that's waiting for us?"

Sawyer followed him down the stairs after they shut the door to the roof. It was now half past eleven.

They came through the lobby and the man behind the desk paid little attention to them as they went past.

Once they were outside, the two went across the car park where, as Hibbs had promised a shiny black stretch limo was waiting for them with a driver ready and the engine on.

Hibbs and Sawyer got into the back and were driven off into the night.

* * *

It had been an hour or so since Kate had given up screaming and making a fuss. She sat still, breathing deeply as the motion of the car turning a corner swayed her slightly. She could suddenly here Mark's voice from the front of the car.

"Pull over. I want to talk to her." He said to the driver.

"No can do Marky boy. The boss said no-one speaks to her until we get back to headquarters."

"I don't care." He replied. "Things have changed. So pull over. Now."

Kate felt the car stopping and heard the front door open and shut. Then after a few footsteps outside she noticed that as he was getting in the back, Mark went right up near her before sitting down opposite her. The vehicle then started moving again.

Kate heard him reach out his arm and she flinched as the bag on her head was pulled off and she could finally see again.

For the first time she realised that they were not in a car but the back of a limo. It was just them and she guessed that the other guys who had helped capture her had gone in a different car.

She looked across at Mark and now that she was closer to him she could tell that something was wrong. He looked tired and under stress, a lot paler than he had once been. He looked a bit grim and puzzled at the same time.

"What are you doing here Kate?" he asked her.

"I'm helping my friend get his daughter back. What are you doing here?"

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"This isn't what you think it is." He told her.

"Oh yeah? And what do I think it is? Are you just some freak who kidnaps children then leaves a trail of sick clues for their parent to follow?"

"Come on, the kidnapping thing wasn't even my idea! I didn't know what I was getting into!" he was shouting now.

"What is this? What do you want from us?"

"We'll be at headquarters soon, and after we get there, my boss, a guy named Hibbs will arrive. Then you can ask him anything you like."

Kate looked out the window. It was raining for the first time since Saturday morning. Seeing Mark again had brought back memories that she had long since put away.

"I can't trust you." She said. "Not after what happened with… us."

"I know." he replied. "And for what it's worth I don't expect you to forgive me."

She looked back at him.

"Kate… This might feel scary for you but I won't let them hurt you."

"We're here." Said the driver, parking the limo outside an older looking building.

Mark and Kate got out of the back and followed the driver inside and down some steps. She felt safer after their talk. She hoped that Sawyer was okay but for now all she could do was what she was told.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please leave a review. What do you think of the revelations in this chapter?**


	12. Room 42 and 'The Plan'

**Hi guys, here is the latest chapter, it begins with Miles, Desmond and Penny but the end of the chapter focuses on Saywer,Kate, Hibbs and Mark.**

**Hope you enjoy :) I've already begun writing the next chapter! **

* * *

[Saturday Afternoon] (Two days ago)

Desmond stood in front of the mirror in his house in LA wearing a grey suit. Charlie came in suddenly.

"Daddy," he said.

"Ah, there you are," smiled Desmond. "I just want to make sure that you'll be good for the nanny." His son didn't answer but nodded vigorously. "Great."

A man came into the room. "Your jet is ready Mr Hume."

"Alright. Me and your mum are leaving now but don't worry we'll call you tonight to make sure everything's okay. Bye!"

He went to meet Penny and Miles in the hallway and they left the house to get driven to the runway.

Fifteen minutes later Des was sitting opposite Penny eating breakfast way up in the air.

"You didn't have to come." She said.

"I know." He nodded. "But I don't want to be apart from you. Not for one day."

Penny leaned over the table and kissed him.

They heard the toilet flush and Miles came out of the bathroom.

"So what exactly are we going to do when we get to New York?" Desmond asked him.

"Well, we stay at a hotel tonight and we look for the building tomorrow."

"The one that you did have a photo of but not any more." Clarified Penny.

"Yep." Replied Miles, sitting down by the opposite window. "Look, if we don't find it straight away we can at least keep an eye out in case Kate and Sawyer turn up you know?"

Penny was now feeling a bit stupid. After finally convincing Desmond to come, she was realising that they really didn't have much to go on. Her husband knew her well enough to pick up on this. He held her hand.

"It won't be any harm just to stay there a few days." He whispered.

"I know," she said. "What could possibly go wrong?"

When the flight landed, they were taken to the place they would be staying- 'NY Hearts and minds Hotel' and Miles went straight up to his room, 315 to have a lie down. He switched on the TV and ordered room service. He went to bed early that night as he wanted to feel fresh for the search for the building the next day

* * *

[Sunday]

In the morning Penny knocked on Miles' door and the two of them and Desmond headed down and out onto the streets of New York to look for the building. Although they did not have the photo of it, Miles was sure that his memory of the building's shape and size was accurate enough to go on. Despite this they searched for hours and failed to find a single skyscraper that matched the image in his head. They finally decided to take a lunch break in a small diner. They were starving since they had skipped breakfast.

"So, where have we not looked?" said Penny to no-one in particular as she scoured a map.

"I thought you said you remembered it well, brother," said Desmond.

"I do," replied Miles, "It's not my fault that we just haven't come across it yet,"

"Is there any other way we could find it?" he asked.

Miles stared out of the window at a very tall building across the street. Suddenly an idea came to him.

"If we got higher up, we might have a better chance of seeing it!" he exclaimed.

A few minutes later the three were standing on the roof of the building opposite the diner.

Unfortunately, the plan had not worked exactly as Miles was hoping. They still could not see very much from their vantage point as other buildings were getting in the way. Penny sighed in frustration.

"We'll have to try another one," she said. "That one looks pretty tall," she pointed to another nearby by building. "What do you think Des?" she asked.

But Desmond was staring in the opposite direction.

"What is he looking at?" asked Miles. They both attempted to mimic his gaze so that they could see what he was seeing.

"It's them." He said after a moment.

"Them? Who's them?" said Penny, looking confused.

"That building, there," he said, "look at the symbol on the side."

"I don't recognise it." She said blankly. "Should I?"

It was at first glance a white circle but when you looked closely, you would notice that it was actually an octagon with several lines on the inside with a compressed little picture in the centre. Suddenly Miles spotted the symbol and understood-

"The DHARMA Initiative have a station here. In New York."

* * *

"Who or what is the DHARMA Initiative?" asked Penny. She felt like she was missing out on some vital information.

"They were the scientists that made the hatch."

"The hatch with the button that you had to press every 108 minutes?" she asked.

"Aye," he replied. Miles remembered something Juliet had said a long time ago- 'There was a man named Desmond living down in it. He was pushing a button every 108 minutes to save the world.' He had known he had heard the name somewhere before.

"You were the one down there weren't you!" he said.

"What's it to you brother?"

"I was part of the DHARMA Initiative for your information," he said proudly.

"I seriously doubt that," said Desmond, "They died a long time ago…"

"Went back in time," said Miles as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"You went back in time?" asked the Scotsman curiously. Just as Miles was about to reply, Penny stepped in.

"We can't get distracted!" she said. "We need to keep looking for that building,"

Desmond shook his head.

"This is important," he told her.

"And finding a kidnapped girl isn't?" she asked him.

"It's not like that, Penny,"

"Miles tell him we need to keep looking,"

"Sorry," said Miles, he had an itch to get down to the DHARMA building and explore it. "I think I want to see what's there,"

Penny was pissed off to say the least but it was two against one, meaning she really didn't have much of a choice. Besides, if what Miles had told her was true, Sawyer and Kate would be going there anyway. Hopefully they would have better luck finding it.

"Fine." She said. "We can go."

"Thank you," replied Desmond.

The three of them descended back to the bottom and out onto the street.

The walk to the DHARMA building took a lot longer than any of them were anticipating but they finally reached the foot of the skyscraper. The doors were rusty and needed repainting. A scratched up DHARMA logo was on them and the little centre picture was recognisable as the building itself.

Desmond approached the doors and put a hand on each metal handle. He tried to open them but as he had expecting, they were locked.

"Stand back," he told Penny and Miles. They both moved away from the door quickly.

Desmond kicked the doors with all his force and they swung open.

There must have been an automated set of lights because the moment the doors were thrown open the three briefly saw the dark interior before it lit up brightly revealing a long, greyish corridor.

The Scotsman was expecting the lights to flicker like the ones in the Island based stations but they remained on. The three walked down the corridor and as they got closer to the end, an elevator came into view.

"Do you think it still works?" whispered Penny.

"Why are you whispering?" asked Miles.

"I don't know…" she said, "It just feels like someone is watching us. I must be going crazy…"

They reached the elevator and opened its doors. They squeezed in. Miles had a bad feeling about the whole place- though it was a lot more modern than all the other DHARMA stations he had been in, it still looked like it hadn't been used in a long time.

Desmond looked at the floor numbers. They went up to 41 floors including ground level. But there was one below ground; a button labelled 'Room 42' which had the DHARMA symbol on it.

"I guess we know where we're going," said Miles.

The elevator hummed as it went downward for several moments. The doors finally opened and they came out into a small room with a high ceiling. The walls were a striking shade of red and there were some large doors. Miles realised at this point that he needed to get used to seeing the DHARMA symbol everywhere just like the 'good old days' as it was also printed in jet black against the blood red doors.

"Hey, give me a hand with these," said Desmond, beckoning Miles to take the other door. Together they swung them open and were surprised at what they found on the other side.

It was a huge room with electronics such as modern computers and lights and there were piles of papers stacked in a messy way.

Desmond wandered over to some papers and picked one up.

_DHARMA_

_ROOM 42_

_KNOWN ANOMALIES (WORLD)_

_UPDATED 12/04/2008, PAGE 1, COLLUMN 1_

_DOCUMENT0023/DI_FILE_

_INSERT\VERSION_2.0_

_NAME:_

_ROY CERREN_

_HARRISON COLE_

_SUSAN ERREN_

_DESMOND HUME_

_LUCY JENNIFER_

_DAVID LEWIS_

_AARON LITTLETON?_

_WALTER LLOYD_

_RICHARD MALKIN_

_KARL MARX_

_CHENG REIL_

_HIRO RIAK_

_EMMA SHELDON_

_PAGE 1 OF 2_

_DOCUMENT0023/DI_FILECOLLUMN1OF7SS123_

Miles peered over Desmond's shoulder at the sheet.

"Why's it got your name on it?" he asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "But look-" he pointed to one of the other names on the list, "Aaron Littleton. Kate and Claire's kid."

Penny moved around the room. There were tables placed at various points around the room each with handwritten notes, sketches and drawings. One of the pencil sketches showed the mountain ridges of the island that her father had once wanted so badly for himself. In the bottom right was a signature but it was too scribbled to read and the only distinguishable letter was the 'P' at the start. There was also a letter;

_Geoffrey,_

_We have been fighting them off for days but I fear my death is imminent. Enclosed is a picture I sketched out a few weeks ago before the fighting began. I knew it would have to happen eventually- the operations we continued were not exactly ethically correct and perhaps, dying painfully is a fair fate for me. I have lived a long life and I wish you the greatest luck in the experiments you have been carrying out in New York and the potential for future recruiting is looking good._

_Even if I survive this most recent attack, I will no longer be able to send you letters or emails from Room 108. I ask that you look for my son as we discussed in my previous letter but do not make it your highest priority at this difficult time._

And at the bottom was the signature again and the date it was posted- 08/21/2007

"Des, what does this stuff mean?" said Penny, handing him the letter. He skim read it and shrugged before stuffing it in his pocket.

Miles was still in awe at all the information they had come across even though they did not yet understand all of it.

"We should write some of this down." He said, "we can't carry all of this stuff"

"What's the point, brotha?" asked Desmond. "None of this is gonna help us with anything."

Miles ignored him and picked up a DHARMA branded biro and one of the pieces of paper, noting down some of the things he had seen in Room 42.

"We should leave." Said Penny after a while. "We can come back at any time and we need to be looking for that other building."

Desmond nodded in agreement. Miles kept the pen and his notes and the three of them left Room 42. They did not see that someone had been hiding, watching them.

By the time they had left the DHARMA station they were all starving and it was already the evening so they decided to call it a day and hope that Sawyer and Kate had succeeded in following the kidnappers clue.

That night he tried calling Sawyer's cell phone but got no answer…

* * *

[Monday, 00:37am]

"Champagne?" said Hibbs, having poured two glasses in the back of the limo he and Sawyer were in. Sawyer shook his head. He should have been feeling thirsty but his head was still whirring with thoughts about his current situation. It had been Hibbs that had taken Clementine and now he was going on about some job.

"How did you even know where you'd be able to take Clementine?"

"Well, let's just say that with enough money and determination you can find anyone," he laughed.

A few minutes later the vehicle pulled up outside an old building next to another limo.

"Right this way," Hibbs led Sawyer into the building and down some steps.

They came down into a large room. There was a wooden table in the centre and a projector pointing at a blank grey wall. There was about five or six men in suits around the room and a man in casual attire sitting in a chair. One of the men in suits was holding Kate by the arm.

The moment Kate spotted Sawyer coming down the steps she pulled herself free and ran at him. They hugged.

"It's so good to see you." She whispered in his ear. "They haven't done anything to me yet and I don't know what they want."

"Don't worry," replied Sawyer, "Everything's going to be okay."

Hibbs pushed them apart.

"Okay you two there'll be plenty of time for this later. But for now… I need to show you something." He nodded to a man to his right and he began fiddling with the projector to turn it on. "Sawyer. You asked me what the job I want you to do is. Well I'll tell you now and I'll only go through it once so you'd better listen up. Lights please."

At his command, the room went dark and the projector on the table showed everyone in the room the first part of what was a slideshow. Hibbs stood at the front with a small remote in his hand.

The title slide was up on the wall and read; 'The Plan'.

"So here's what I've been thinking of for a while now," he informed everyone, "every year, on the 23rd of March, a highly powerful gang- The Control, import forty kilos of heroin from a Puerto Rico."

The slide changed as he spoke and the remote which was also a laser pointer was shining it's bright red dot across an image of some gang members walking down the street. It was hard to see their faces as the picture had been taken from quite far away and was not entirely in focus.

"And to smuggle these drugs in," he continued, "They use this."

The next slide showed a medium sized rusting boat parked in the docks. Kate felt a bit sick when she realised it was not dissimilar to the Kahana freighter.

"The idea… is simple." Said Hibbs. "However- you cannot underestimate these people. If everything goes well, we should be in and out of that boat as quick as possible."

"Wait-"said Sawyer. "You mean we're going to steal those drugs?"

"Yes."

"While the gang members are still on that boat?"

"The Control have hundreds of members in New York. The boat can hold a maximum of thirty. If we can reach them a few miles out at sea, we'll be stealing from them when they're at their weakest."

Sawyer and Kate shared an uneasy glance. Neither of them liked the idea very much at all. Sawyer had been expecting it to be yet another classic scam or con- but this was definitely not the usual job.

"So how many of us are going in?" he asked.

"Four or five. We'll get there on a little speed boat and sneak on board quietly. Then we'll head for the room where the drugs are stored. There'll be guns with us just in case."

"What if we can't carry all of it off?"

"We'll take as much as we can," said Hibbs, getting frustrated at his old partner.

Kate quickly worked out when the 23rd would be. It would happen on Wednesday. Today was Sunday- or was it Monday morning now?

Mark cleared his throat.

"Can we turn this off now?" he asked.

"Are you ready to discuss this?" Hibbs said to Sawyer.

"Yeah. If it's gonna get me my daughter back."

"Right."

"But what about Kate? Is she taking any part in this?"

"Only if she wishes to." He looked at her.

"I don't think I could handle it. It's fine. I'll just stay-" began Kate, but she did not know where she would stay.

"I've already booked you both a hotel room for the next few days- a real hotel this time- so you can wait there on the day if you like." Said Hibbs.

"Yeah. Okay." She replied.

"Good. Now to business." He, Sawyer and some others left through a door at one side of the room leaving Kate with Mark and one other guy.

Mark stood up and came over to Kate.

"I'm getting something to drink," he said. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks." she told him plainly. She suddenly noticed how tired she was.

He sat down next to her, having apparently put his thirst on hold.

"Do you want to talk about it now?"

"What's there to talk about?" she asked him.

"You know what I mean. All of this and- us."

"There is no 'us' anymore." Said Kate. "It's been years."

"Exactly! So you've had plenty of time to forgive me for what I did."

"It doesn't work like that. And even if I could forgive you for that, I couldn't forgive you for this. You're a criminal."

"Oh really?" he said.

"Hibbs told me all about Sawyer and the things he's done in the past. Not to mention who you really are."

"And what's that?"

"A murderer." He got up and walked off into another room.

Kate's eyes glistened silently. She had changed, it seemed like forever ago that she was on the run yet she remembered telling Mark she had once killed someone as if it was yesterday.

The other man eventually escorted her out of the building and back into the limo. She was driven to the hotel which was called 'NY Hearts and minds Hotel' that they had booked for her and was led to her room door. The golden metal lettering on it read room 317. She came in and the escort finally left her alone.

Without even bothering to change, she collapsed into the bed and listened to a dog barking in the distance while crying quietly until she fell asleep.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review (you don't need an account to write one) and watch this space for the next update! The next chapter will have proper flashbacks I promise, and some huge Skate surprises...**


	13. NY Hearts and Minds

**This is the last chapter leading up to the drug stealing mission and there is a huge revelation to do with Kate... Enjoy! **

**WARNING- This chapter contains sex.**

* * *

[Flashback]

"So what did you think of them?" asked Mark.

"Umm…" began Kate, it had been a few minutes since they had left the bar where Mark had introduced her to his group of close friends, they had all been very welcoming and had a lot of stories about things that had happened around the city and talked to her about what a cool place it was. She had been glad when he offered to walk her back to her apartment. "Yeah, they were nice." She said as they walked down the street.

"And did we convince you that New York is the place to be?"

"Absolutely," she nodded, however she was secretly thinking about Claire and Aaron when she replied.

"Which was your favourite?" he asked her. She gasped teasingly.

"I'm not allowed to say! I liked them all equally."

He nodded knowingly.

"It was Alan wasn't it?"

"Yeah," she said. "I don't know what it was-"

"He just has some kind of charm that women seem to like,"

"So does he go out with a lot of women?" she asked.

"A lot more than I go out with." He said.

"Maybe you'll have to take me on a tour, you know, see the sights and all that? We have got to go to the Empire State Building,"

"How about Friday after work?"

"Yeah, alright," she replied.

They had finally reached the door of Kate's building. The two of them stopped on the step just outside.

"So," He said. "I'll see you tomorrow,"

"Thanks for such a great evening," she smiled and went in while he waved and headed off into the night.

[Present]

When Kate woke up she firstly noticed arms wrapped around her. Sawyer was holding her but was fast asleep; he must have come in a while after she had.

Careful not to wake Sawyer, she climbed out of his arms and off of the bed. She stood up wondering what to do. Eventually she decided that the best thing to do was put on some make up and wait for Sawyer to come back to reality.

She stared accusingly at herself in the large mirror, leaning her hands on the sink. There were marks and black smudges from the crying she had done the previous evening and she let out a deep sigh to reboot her own confidence.

Kate turned on the tap and placed her hand under the cold running water before wiping away the dark smear beneath her eyes that she had acquired.

What she had forgotten was that her bag had been taken when she was ambushed at the fake hotel. She would just have to do without make-up for a while.

In the other room Sawyer was just waking up and sat on the bed's edge. Kate came in from the bathroom.

"Oh, you're up," she said brightly. He nodded and looked at her.

"I'm still tired," he said.

"Well I can't blame you. You drove a long way to get here."

They did not speak for a while until Kate finally asked him the burning question in her mind.

"Are you thinking about Miles?"

"I shouldn't have been so harsh," he replied, confirming her suspicions.

"Is there any way of reaching him?"

"They took my phone and I don't remember his number."

"As long as he didn't go back to LA…" said Kate.

"But where else could he have gone?"

"Just forget about him for now. We have two full days before the drug heist. Time to recover and prepare. We shouldn't waste that time worrying about things we can't change."

"You're right." Agreed Sawyer. "I'm sorry, I've been whining like a child."

Kate looked upset suddenly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just- Two days isn't enough."

"I know."

Kate smiled and put her brave face back on. They were going to get through the ordeal and hopefully find Clementine. She really wished that Hibbs had asked for money, rather than a dangerous theft.

[Flashback]

Kate and Mark had been going out for a few months and she had just got a big raise at work. She could not remember a happier time.

It was now the summer and Kate was looking forward to visiting Claire and Aaron in Los Angeles. She hadn't seen them in a while.

"I'm gonna miss you," said Mark. He was lying on the sofa watching TV. "I know you'll only be there for a couple of days but it's gonna suck here without you."

"Then why don't you come with me?" suggested Kate. "You know, as a couple. I'm sure Claire would like you. She won't mind."

Mark shook his head. "Nah, its fine. She's your friend; I wouldn't want to get in the way."

"Fair enough." Said Kate. "But if you change your mind, I'll let her know yeah?"

"Cool." Replied Mark, though he knew he would not change his mind.

The next day Kate flew out to LA and got a taxi to Claire's house.

It felt strange to be back there after so long. She rang the doorbell and waited.

Claire opened the door with a huge smile on her face and they both hugged.

"It's so good to see you!" said Claire.

"You too." Replied Kate. "Where's Aaron?"

"Oh, he's through here." She said, leading Kate in and closing the front door. They headed down the hallway and came out into the living room. Claire had obviously made a few changes to how Kate had remembered it.

Aaron was on the couch drawing in a puzzle book.

"Hi Aaron!" she said. The child got off the sofa and ran over to her laughing. "Wow, look how big you're getting!"

Kate stared at Aaron as if she'd never seen him before.

"Are you okay?" asked Claire.

"Actually," said Kate, "No. I need to tell you something."

[Present]

"What do you want for breakfast?" asked Sawyer. "They gave me some money to spend."

"I don't mind," replied Kate.

"I saw a place that does croissants just down the road. I could bring one back for you if you like."

"Sure."

"Okay, I'll be back in a few minutes." He left the hotel room and Kate lay back down. She was still quite tired and could do with more rest. After some time there was a knock on the door that awoke her from her short nap.

She got up and opened up the door.

"Did you forget the keys?" she asked, expecting Sawyer to be there. It was actually Mark.

"Kate," he said.

"What are you doing here?" she asked angrily.

"Look, I know I wasn't helpful last night; I was just trying to explain myself,"

"I don't care." She told him, "So you might as well fuck off."

"No, I'm here to apologise. For everything. Even if you don't forgive me, I don't care, because at least you'll know… I tried."

There were footsteps in the hall and Sawyer appeared in the hallway.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm Mark, you might remember me from last night." He extended a hand but Sawyer did not shake it. He did recognise him from the night before but what was he doing here. As if he had read the guy's mind, Mark explained what he was doing.

"I just came to speak to Kate. We're old friends." Sawyer looked at her for confirmation.

"Yeah," she said, "and you were just leaving weren't you Mark."

He nodded and left. Sawyer came in and placed the two croissants he was holding on the breakfast bar in the room.

Kate closed the door.

"You know him?"

"Yes. From the time I lived here."

"When he said 'old friends' does that mean-?"

"We were together. For a while."

"Why did you break up?"

"It doesn't matter. It was stupid. I caught him cheating."

"Is that it?" said Sawyer, surprised at how she had looked almost tearful a moment ago when all he had done was cheat. However this made her look more upset and he regretted saying it.

"Sorry." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile in a room just a bit further down the hall of the hotel, Miles was watching a documentary about Alcatraz, an island in the San Francisco Bay where people were once held prisoner. He was still thinking about Sawyer. Every now and then, he even thought he could hear his voice.

The documentary was getting boring so he switched off the TV.

Suddenly he realised with a jolt that he wasn't imagining things. He was sure he could here Sawyer. And Kate! He got up from his chair and went out into the hallway. He quickly figured out that the voices were coming from behind the door with 317 on it and he knocked on the door.

"Do you think that's him again?" asked Sawyer.

"I don't know," said Kate. "Look through the peep hole."

Sawyer pressed his eye up to the door and suddenly flung it open without saying anything. Miles was standing there and he and Sawyer looked at each other in shock.

"Miles? What the hell are you doin' here?"

"Good to see you too." He said sarcastically but with a smile on his face.

Kate went over to see it for herself. It was true- Miles was actually there.

"Miles!" she exclaimed. "What _are_ you doing in New York?"

"I'll tell you in a sec." he said, walking into Kate and Sawyer's hotel room. He poked his head around expectantly as if he was looking for someone. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Who?"

"Clementine." He said. "Did it not work?" Sawyer shook his head grimly. "Oh… Maybe we should discuss this downstairs."

"Why there?" said Kate.

"Cos you'll never believe who else is here." Replied Miles.

* * *

On the bottom floor of the 'NY Hearts and minds Hotel' there was a small area with a couple of couches and reasonably comfortable chairs. If anyone were to walk briskly through they may have noticed some people were sitting there having a conversation. However, if anyone passing by was paying more attention, they would notice that the group of people were talking in whispers and having a serious discussion. Luckily no-one that observant was around when Miles was explaining to Sawyer and Kate how he had ran into Penny and Desmond and what they had found in 'Room 42'. He even gave Sawyer the DHARMA pen he had found. Likewise there was no-one outside the group paying any attention at all when Sawyer explained what had happened on the roof of the building they had been looking for and how the kidnapper was one of his old associates and that he was being blackmailed to help his old acquaintance pull off a risky drug theft against a powerful gang.

"And if I don't," Sawyer concluded, "God knows what they'll do to Clementine. Or me for that matter."

"And that's all going to happen the day after tomorrow?" asked Penny.

He nodded and sat back in his chair.

"Sounds like you don't have much of a choice." Said Miles.

"I wouldn't say that, brotha. There's always a choice." Said Desmond. "What if we had your back?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sawyer.

"I mean that if something goes wrong on this crazy mission of yours, or if that Hibbs bastard betrays his word, we'll be ready to help you out of whatever awful consequences there may be."

"That's a good idea." Agreed Miles. "Don't tell any of those guys that you've been in contact with us. If we keep this a secret we'll be able to take them by surprise when the shit hits the fan."

Throughout the entire conversation, Kate had kept very quiet, her mind obviously elsewhere. This did not go unnoticed. Afterwards, when they were back in there room, Sawyer approached her.

"Where were you just then?" he asked.

"Sorry." She said. "But this city brings back bad memories."

"What bad memories?" said Sawyer. "You've got to tell me so I can help you. You keep saying your fine but do you know what? I don't believe it for a second."

Kate looked him in the eye.

"I want you to tell me… why you left this place."

She turned on the spot, walked out of the room, and left the hotel.

* * *

Kate crossed her arms as she slowly wandered down the streets of New York.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and her heart rate shot upwards as she looked to see who it was.

"Mark." She said, relieved. Then she felt angry at herself, she shouldn't feel relieved to see someone she hated so much.

"Kate, you shouldn't be out and about on your own." He said.

"Well, Sawyer's not at his kindest at the moment." She told him.

"And who can blame him?" asked Mark. "His child was taken from him. The last thing he needs is his own friends holding back secrets."

Kate was aware of her own guilt for keeping information from Sawyer but that guilt wasn't enough to make her tell him anything.

"If you want you can stay at my apartment." Said Mark.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." She said.

"I won't be there." He replied. "You'd be on your own. It's a safe place. I can drive you there and let you in if you like."

"…Okay." Kate said.

"Thank you." Said Mark. At least she was finally showing some signs of trust towards him once again.

* * *

When Kate and Mark arrived at his apartment, it all happened just like he'd said. He let her in and left shortly, without returning even late that night. Kate lay awake in his bed. She vaguely wondered what Mark had done with the apartment she and he had lived in for a while. It didn't matter any more though and she tried to forget about all those little things.

If none of that mattered then she couldn't help questioning whether everything that was happening right now would also be meaningless several weeks, months or years down the line. She had more nightmares that night and her sleep was too disrupted to be comfortable or relaxing. The worst possible memories were coming back to her in vivid detail.

[Flashback]

After Kate had told Claire about her situation, she had received some good advice and headed back to New York a day early to once and for all sort out an issue she had been worrying about for the last couple of months or so.

She excitedly and nervously approached the door to her apartment and entered. Suddenly there was a scream. But it wasn't a scream of terror. She rushed into the bedroom and almost fainted at what she saw.

There was a naked girl in her bed, moaning and giggling and beneath her was Mark who was also naked and contributing to the loud sounds they were making together. The girl was moving up and down on top of him and after the peaking moment, the two slowed down, breathing heavily.

"What is this?" asked Kate dryly and croakily.

The two on the bed had not noticed her until this point and the girl actually stifled a laugh when she saw Kate as if being caught was the funniest thing ever.

Mark did not look so happy. His eyes were wide and he knew that he was in for a huge argument.

"Just ignore her, she'll go away." Said the girl but Mark shook his head and pushed her away.

"Get out of my bed." Kate told her. "Get out of my fucking bed!"

Tauntingly slowly, the girl pulled away the covers, not bothering to hide her breasts or any part of her body and walked towards Kate. Her clothes were still strewn across the floor.

As the girl walked past she stopped and whispered in Kate's ear.

"Keep them if you want. They'd look good on you." She then walked out of the apartment naked though she would not be too cold outside as it was the Summer after all. She would enjoy the attention of walking home without clothes.

Kate stood still, staring at Mark, feeling sick- for two reasons.

"I'm pregnant." She said.

Mark put his head in his hands and clutched his fringe with his fingers.

After a while he looked back up at her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes. I took a lot of the tests."

"Are you going to uh-"

"Keep it?"

"Yeah…"

Mark could tell that he had made her decision a lot harder by doing what he had just done.

"Do you think I should?" Kate asked him.

"I don't know… you could put it up for adoption I guess, if you wanted to. Or have an abortion."

"An abortion?" she looked disgusted.

"Yeah, like a surgical removal, loads of people have them these days."

"I thought you'd be happy about this" She said. "But then again, until a minute ago I was happy about it and now I don't know how I feel. If I do have this child, you're not getting near it."

"Kate-"

"Don't say my name you bastard." She cried. "Get out."

"Can I at least get dressed first?" he asked.

"Sure." She replied through tears, "unless you want to leave naked like that slag."

He pulled on his clothes quickly and left in a hurry. Kate slammed the door behind him and collapsed onto the floor shaking and weeping.

[Present]

On Tuesday afternoon Kate left Mark's apartment and went into a few shops for the day especially to buy some make-up. Mark had given her some money and she also used some to buy lunch. It was not until the late evening that she felt it was okay to return to the hotel. She had not taken a key to the room so she knocked and waited.

Sawyer opened the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked her as she came in.

"I saw Mark and he let me sleep at his apartment."

Sawyer shook his head. None of it made sense to him.

"You left something out earlier. Are you ready to tell me?"

Kate finally realised it was time to tell the truth.

"When I caught him cheating, I was pregnant with his child."

"… You were pregnant?"

"Yeah."

"You never thought to let me know about this?"

"Well it's personal stuff." She said.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I did what Mark suggested. I got an abortion."

"Oh my God, Kate I'm sorry,"

"Don't" she said. He hugged her tightly and she cried for the umpteenth time in the last week.

When the hug eventually ended she and Saywer stayed close and she looked up at him.

"I've decided I want to help." She told him.

"What?"

"Tomorrow, I'll take part in whatever Hibbs is going to make you do."

"Are you sure?" asked Sawyer.

"Yes. I can't just sit here and wait."

"You're too brave sometimes," said Sawyer.

She laughed and sniffled. They continued to look at each other and before they knew it they were kissing hard and wrapping their arms around one another. It was different to when they had been at the motel, this time it really felt like it would be their last chance.

They moved instinctively to the bed and fell down onto it. The kissing lasted forever, and everything became a slow blissful blur.

Each stage of sex kept going on for far longer than it should have. When the clothes were out of the way, each of Sawyer's thrusts seemed to send shivers through not only Kate but through time itself. She groaned with loud satisfaction each time he pushed into her with utmost passion.

Soon the two reached their climax and experienced a shattering orgasm that felt like it lasted for a perfect eternity. As the ecstasy gradually faded away, Kate and Sawyer lay next to each other- finally together… Even though they knew it wouldn't last.

* * *

**Wow, will the heist run smoothly or will it all go wrong?**

**Either way, the next chapter will change EVERYTHING... Thanks for reading :) Leave a quick review please!**


	14. Traitors and Thieves

**The waiting is over! Truth be told, I've had this chapter ready for a few days but I kept going back and changing small things. Anyway enjoy!**

* * *

Sawyer was back on The Island. He was running down a path surrounded by broken bamboo trees. There was a loud roar behind him but he dared not look back. Kate was by his side and their eyes met as they ran. She smiled at him. Suddenly he realised he should not of stopped looking ahead as there was a figure visible just in front of him. He and Kate skidded to a halt. The figure turned out to be Hibbs- he was holding a gun to Clementine's head. Sawyer looked again to his right but Kate was gone. He began to panic. He turned back to Hibbs who laughed throatily. The roaring was getting louder behind him and he could tell whatever had been chasing him was about to attack. Then Hibbs wasn't holding a gun any more but had his hand in the shape of one. He opened his mouth to speak…

"Bang!" And Sawyer woke up.

"What's wrong?" whispered Kate who was lying naked on top of him, slowly pulling her fingers through his hair.

"Nothing," he replied, blinking at her. "Just a bad dream. What time is it?" he looked around- it was still quite dark.

"It's just about six o'clock," she told him.

"We have to be at the dock in about four hours."

"Well… How do you want to spend that four hours?" asked Kate.

"Right here." He replied.

So the two of them lay there as dawn eventually broke and neither fell asleep. They wanted to savour each and every moment they had before the mission that would change everything.

* * *

Mark had been staying in Hibbs' building for the past week. He wasn't sure if he had been having trouble sleeping because of Kate, nerves involving the upcoming event or just because it wasn't as comfortable as the bed in his apartment. He knew that cheating on Kate had been a terrible thing but he had never really had all that much time to feel guilty before Kate had left the city and now she was back he was feeling a bit disgusted with himself. He remembered the shame he had felt when Kate had told him she was pregnant. Every time he looked at her face he felt that shame creeping back to haunt him.

* * *

Miles got out of bed after a short lie-in and crouched on the floor. He pulled his suit-case from beneath the bed and undid the two, small metal latches. The case swung open. It did not contain very much. Toothbrush and tooth paste, soap, his cell phone, a laptop (one that Desmond had lent him), a bunch of porno magazines and packed away, right at the bottom- was a loaded gun. He had bought it the day before from a weapon shop and was prepared to use it in case of an emergency. He wasn't too worried about the drug heist- after all Sawyer was good at that sort of thing but he couldn't help feeling glad he was not participating in the robbery.

* * *

Hibbs was the first to arrive at the dock. He was driven there in one of the black stretch limos. He sat in the back, waiting patiently and checked his watch every now and then. He had told Sawyer to turn up at 10:00 and it was currently 09:56. A couple of minutes later Mark and Hibbs' other henchmen turned up, some of them with AK47's. Sawyer arrived at 10:00 on the dot- he had to walk although it was not very far. However, Hibbs and Mark were surprised to see that Kate was with him. Mark approached them, looking confused.

"I thought you weren't coming with us." He said.

"Well, I changed my mind."

"And you want her to do this?" he asked Sawyer.

"Hey, it's her decision buddy. If she wants to help, she can help."

Hibbs got out of his limo and came towards them.

"Boss, tell them she can't be a part of this,"

"Now why would I do that?" he smiled. "I wish I'd been notified a little earlier but if she wants to come, who are we to stop her?"

Mark looked annoyed.

"So what exactly are we using to get out there?" asked Sawyer, pointing out into the wide, blue ocean.

"We'll be using this little thing today," replied Hibbs, gesturing to a speed-boat floating gently by the edge of the dock.

Sawyer, Kate, Hibbs, Mark and two men with guns got into the boat while some of the other men unlocked the chains that were keeping the boat attached to land.

The engine made a loud noise as it was started up and the small boat began to move outward, away from the city. Kate looked back as they went further and further away from the city- there was no turning back now.

* * *

A few miles away, the boat owned by 'The Control' was slowly making it's way across the sea. In a small room, some gang members were standing around staring at the bleeding, tied up man in the centre. The gang leader, Jake looked nervous, he was pacing up and down. The man tied to the chair in the middle shook with fear.

"Is it true?" asked Jake.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Replied the other man.

"Were you asked to join our gang so you could gather information?"

He got no reply.

"Well, it's lucky that you got caught. Sam tells me there is going to be a raid on this boat today. If you tell us more about it, I may have second thoughts about slitting your throat! So tell me, just about when is this raid supposed to take place?"

The man looked at the clock in the corner of the room.

"In about fifteen minutes." He replied.

Jake looked at the other gang members.

"Be alert. Position yourselves at strategic points around the drugs and keep an eye yourselves well. And someone kill the fucking rat."

The man in the chair screamed as Jake left the room.

* * *

"So how did you get so much info on this gang?" Sawyer asked Hibbs loudly over the engine noise.

"We had someone on the inside." He replied.

"Is he reliable?"

"One of my best men. I trust him enough on a mission like this."

Sawyer nodded.

Suddenly the boat slowed down.

"Look, there it is," said Mark, pointing to 'The Control's boat. "We need to be quiet."

They drifted across for several minutes behind until with a little bump they made contact with the larger vehicle. Hibbs pulled out a large knife.

"Sawyer, you and me will go up first, then you two and then Mark and Kate,"

He reached up to the edge of the boat and pulled himself upwards, Sawyer close behind. They quickly hid behind two wooden crates. They were on the top deck towards the back of the boat and the room where the drugs were stored was underneath them.

There were two gang members walking around near the steps leading downwards. One was smoking and the other was on his phone. The man smoking walked over to where Sawyer and Hibbs were crouching to throw the cigarette into the ocean. Suddenly Hibbs came out of his hiding place momentarily to stab him through the chest and throw him into the water. Fortunately, the man on his phone was facing another direction and was too busy listening to the person on the other end to notice anything out of the ordinary.

From where Hibbs and Sawyer were they could hear what the guy was saying.

"Yeah, we're expecting an attack. Apparently we caught a rat."

The two looked at each other to check the other had heard it. Hibbs looked pissed off.

"They know about it!" whispered Sawyer. "What are we gonna do?"

"There isn't much we can do." He replied. "I say we go loud, I don't have silencers and if we try and use stealth the whole way it'll take too long anyway."

"So what if it takes too long?"

"If we're still on this boat when it reaches New York, hundreds of gang members from the city will come with one purpose- to. Mow. Us. Down."

Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said. "Give me a nine mil."

Hibbs handed him a heavy gun and he poked his head around the boxes. He stretched his arm out of the cover and lined up a shot. "Here we go…" Taking in a deep breath, he pulled the trigger.

He wasn't prepared for the recoil and fell back slightly.

When he looked over to see if he'd hit, he found that he had- it was a perfect shot to the head.

Then, the inevitable happened. Shouting came from all over the boat and they could hear a lot of pairs of feet running towards them.

The two men on the speed boat with AK's climbed up onto the deck. They knew they were heavily outnumbered but all of them had a lot of gun fight experience.

"You two head down there," said Hibbs to his men, "we'll meet you there in a bit. One of you fill up the bag and the other one have his back," the two nodded and ran over to the steps.

Mark and Kate also came upwards onto the boat.

"You guys stay up here," Hibbs told them. "Protect the stairs to stop too many of them getting down there. The best thing to do is keep them spread out." Kate and Mark nodded. "Sawyer, with me."

Sawyer and Hibbs descended into the lower parts of the boat down the rusty, smelly stair well. They came into a large room full of crates and boxes of all different sizes- some of them were even labelled 'explosive'. There was a fire fight going on already. Just like they were told to, one of the henchmen was filling the dark grey back with heroin, one kilo at a time, while the other was firing his gun rapidly across the room. He had taken out a few of the gang members already.

Hibbs and Sawyer took cover again. Hibbs helped load the drugs while Sawyer fired his gun at the attackers.

* * *

Meanwhile, gang members began to advance on Kate and Mark. Every few moments one of the people would stop to reload and either Mark or Kate would peer over their spot and shoot at them. But more and more guys were showing up and the two were running out of ammo pretty quickly.

"Kate!" shouted Mark, sliding some more bullets across the floor. She picked them up and put them into her gun, and resumed shooting.

* * *

"Could you not speed it up a little?" shouted Sawyer.

"We're going as fast as we can!" replied Hibbs, stuffing more drugs into the bag.

Without warning, a gang member with bad aim shot at one of the 'explosive' crates, causing it to erupt in flames. The whole boat shook.

* * *

Kate fell sideways and several piles of boxes collapsed around her and Mark.

Mark rushed over, still shooting at the gang.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Wait, do you smell that?" Mark sniffed. The boat was burning- it was on fire.

* * *

Sawyer reached his hand out to fire some more but got burned badly.

"Son of a bitch!" he said. The flames were getting higher but Hibbs was still packing the heroin, more quickly than ever. Sawyer looked around for the henchmen but they had both been killed, one was lying with bullet holes in his chest and the other had died in the explosion. "Hibbs, this whole place is gonna burn!" as he shouted, even more people were pouring into the room.

"Don't worry, I'm almost done here."

"We've gotta go, NOW!"

"Hang on, hang on,"

Bullets continued to ricochet around the room, some hitting right near Sawyer.

"Do you at least have any more ammo? I'm out!"

Hibbs shook his head.

"All I've got is this!" he said, waving around a grenade.

"That's fine!" said Sawyer reaching out to get it. But Hibbs didn't let go.

"The whole boat will sink faster if you throw that thing at them!"

"Either that or we get shot to death!"

"You're not using it!"

They began to wrestle over the grenade while the enemies got ever closer.

* * *

Some flames had now reached the upper deck and Mark and Kate had also finished using their bullets. They tried to run away from the gang members but more crates were falling around them. They eventually settled down around a corner.

Mark was closer to Kate than he had been for a long time. For a second the smell of smoke left his nostrils and he could smell her amazing scent.

"You must be wondering why I didn't want you to come today," he told her. But she shook her head.

"No. I get it a lot. You just want to protect me and all that. People have done the same to me in the past. And do you know what they all had in common?"

"What?" he asked.

"They loved me." He looked away. "I've seen it in the last few days." She said. "Do you still have feelings for me?"

* * *

Sawyer pulled with all his might, trying to force the grenade out of Hibbs' hand. Suddenly it slipped across his sweaty palm and flew across the room. He felt strange however- as if he was still holding it, but that was probably because the pin was still attached to his thumb.

The next thing he knew there was a bright light, some immense heat and then silence as he drifted deep down into the dark water slowly losing consciousness.

[Flashback]

Sawyer had just left the headquarters to go to the hotel and Mark decided it was a good time to go and talk to Hibbs.

He knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the other man's voice.

Mark opened the door and took a seat.

"So now they know the plan," he said.

"Absolutely. I'm sure it'll run smoothly."

There was silence for a moment. "What did you want to see me about, Mark?"

"The girl, Kate. I know her."

Hibbs nodded.

"I already knew that actually, I don't hire anyone without doing thorough research into their life history- all of it."

"So you know that-"

"I know that you and her were in a relationship for a little over three months, that she caught you cheating the day she told you she was pregnant and consequently got an abortion and moved back to Los Angeles."

"Look, I don't care what you do with the kid, or the father but just please don't do anything bad to her."

His boss laughed.

"There's no need to worry, I won't hurt her… As long as the mission goes well."

"What if it doesn't?"

"If it doesn't… well I'll have Kate and the kid on a plane."

"A plane? What plane?"

"Look, I know a lot of people. Some of these people want things but don't necessarily tell me why. There are certain guys in a certain Country who would pay good money for those two. I've booked a plane just in case."

"And what about the father?"

"Sawyer? Hahaha, isn't it obvious? I'd want you to finish him," he made a gun shape with his hand and smiled evilly, "bang!" he said, pulling the imaginary trigger.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Please leave a review :)**


	15. Rebirth

**I have been very busy recently- I was on a short vacation. Anyway while I was away I had limited wifi access and so I couldn't upload chapters right after I finished them. However I got a lot of writing done and I have decided to upload this chapter AND the next on the same day! So I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them :)**

**By the way I wasn't sure about the title for this chapter- an alternative name for it is 'Oceanic 423'. **

* * *

Sawyer had stopped breathing. His body had floated to the ocean's surface and he was completely oblivious to all the chaos and commotion going on around him. There were bits of twisted metal and planks of wood still on fire. Specs of powder floated past him- the heroin. In the couple of minutes since Sawyer had drowned, all he could think of was a church. He saw Jack. And Locke. The people who had been in charge before him- both of them had ended up dead, and now he was too.

Suddenly a hand grabbed Sawyer's back and dragged him out of the water and onto some pieces of broken wood. The rescuer hit his hands on the body's chest repeatedly several times, then blew air into his mouth. Just as he was about to give up, Sawyer coughed and all memories of the church disappeared in an instant.

"What happened?" he asked, eyes still shut.

"The boat blew up." Replied Mark. "We failed."

Sawyer finally sat up and looked at the scene around him. Then he did a double-take.

"Did you just save my life?" he asked.

Mark nodded and spat some water out of his mouth.

"Fuck, where's Kate?" said Sawyer.

"I don't know." He replied. "She was right next to me when the boat exploded but-…"

"FUUUCKK!" screamed Sawyer before breaking down into tears. "What about Hibbs?"

"Well, if he's still alive, I know where he's going."

"Where?"

"First he'll send someone after your friends at the hotel, then he'll head to the airport."

"Wait, what? My friends at the hotel?"

"Yeah, Miles Straume, Desmond Hume, Penelope Widmore. We were told to keep an eye on the hotel's surveillance. We even know that Miles went out to buy a gun yesterday."

Sawyer's head was spinning, things were getting worse and worse.

"And why the airport?"

"He said to me that if it all went wrong, he would take Kate and your daughter and give them to some of his connections, I don't know much about them, he just said they'd pay him good money for them."

"What was he going to do with me?"

"He said he would kill you. He actually wanted me to do it."

"So why did you save me?"

"I may work for him Mr. Sawyer but that doesn't make me him. I can tell right from wrong."

"Oh really, I think Kate might say otherwise."

"I learnt from my mistakes."

"Right. Well thanks anyway. I guess this makes you one of us."

"And who's 'us'?"

"You know… The good guys."

* * *

It took a while before Mark and Sawyer had reached land. When they were close enough they jump off the piece of boat wreckage they had been floating on and swam across. They climbed up onto a road.

"We need to contact Miles," said Sawyer, "Do you have a cell?"

"Hang on," replied Mark, he dug into his pocket and pulled out two things- his wallet and the soaked remains of his phone. "Crap, it won't work,"

Sawyer looked up and down the road they were standing by the side of. Suddenly he spotted a payphone.

"Look, a payphone! You've got a couple of cents right?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Miles probably has his own cell phone with him. Yeah, because he had it in his pocket at the motel and he must have packed it when he was coming out here."

"give it a try then," said Mark.

Sawyer entered the money and Miles' number and waited while the phone rang.

"Hello?" said Miles.

"It's me Sawyer, listen the mission went wrong and they're after you."

"After me? Who?"

"You know, Hibbs' guys!"

"Shit, how do they know I'm here?"

"Doesn't matter. Either leave or be prepared okay. Mark tells me you bought a gun. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, but who's Mark?"

"I promise, I'll explain everything later, I'm going to the airport, I'm goin' after Hibbs."

"You're going after him, are you mad?"

"He's got Kate goddammit! But seriously, just make sure-" Then the money had ran out.

"Do you want to put in more?" asked Mark.

"No, not enough time. We have to get to the airport. We need a car."

"How about a taxi?"

"No, we need a car that we are in control of so that if the worst comes to the worst, the person at the wheel won't be afraid to break a few laws."

"Right. Okay we'll take mine then, it should still be at the docks."

"Which direction is that from here?" asked Sawyer.

"It's this way," said Mark beginning to run.

* * *

"Could you get that Des?" said Penny from the bathroom of their hotel room. Someone was knocking on the door. Desmond got up and opened the door.

Miles rushed into the room.

"What do you think you're doing brotha?"

"Sawyer just called me, he said the drug heist went wrong and Hibbs' men are after us,"

"After us?"

Miles rushed to the window and peered through the curtains. A black car pulled up and he watched as two men in suits got out, at first glance not many people would notice the guns they were hiding but Miles did and pulled out his own one.

"Shit, they're coming,"

"Do they know which rooms we're in?"

"I don't know" replied Miles. Penny came out of the bathroom having heard the conversation.

"What can we do?" she asked.

"You two hide, I'll wait."

Penny and Desmond hid in a small corner so that anyone who came through the door would not immediately see them.

A few minutes passed and then there was a knock on the door. Everyone stayed silent. Suddenly a foot smashed through the door and the two men entered.

Miles fired frantically at the guy in front and Desmond ran over to knock out the other. Thankfully it was a success, one of them was out cold and the other was dead, his body still having some minor spasms.

"What do we do now?" said Penny.

"Oh, wait, he mentioned an airport! We've gotta go there."

"Okay, I'll call the car," she said.

"No time, let's just get a cab" Miles told her.

The three of them hurried out of the apartment.

* * *

The last thing Kate remembered was talking to Mark on 'The Control's boat. Now she had her hands tied and was in the back of a van. Sitting across from her was an eight year old girl.

"Aunt Kate?" said Clementine.

Kate was still partly unconscious but the child's voice was bringing her back.

"Clementine! Oh my God, it's you."

"What's going on?"

"I don't know. But we'll get out of this. I promise. Your dad wouldn't let anything bad happen to us."

"My dad?"

"Yeah, he's been looking for you. He really, really misses you."

"I miss him too. And mom. When do you think I'll see them again?"

"Soon, honey, I'm sure. Did they hurt you Clem?" the child shook her head.

"Good."

* * *

Hibbs was in the passenger seat of the van, polishing a rifle. He was still a bit bruised from the explosion and dragging Kate out of the water had tired him out.

"Are we almost there?" he asked the driver.

"We'll be at the airport soon, boss."

He glanced in the wing mirror yet again and as usual he saw the same jeep behind them that had been following them the whole journey. It was 'The Control'. He squinted and saw Jake, the leader, roll down the window and half climb out. He was dirty and his clothes were wet- he had been on the boat when it had exploded. He was also holding a gun.

"Crap," said Hibbs, "They found us," He rolled down his own window and shot at the gang's vehicle. It swerved slightly and the bullets missed. Jake fired back and the jeep accelerated, bumping the back of Hibbs' van.

* * *

"What was that?" said Clementine worriedly.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Probably a speed bump," replied Kate, though she did not believe it herself.

* * *

Mark and Sawyer finally reached the dock. All the other cars that had been parked earlier by Hibbs' men were gone and Mark's was the only one left.

"Here it is," he said, getting in the driver's seat.

"Wait, do you mind if I drive," asked Sawyer.

"Fine," replied Mark. He would rather be driving himself but there was very little time to waste arguing. So he moved over into the passenger seat while Sawyer took the wheel.

The car got going and Mark pulled out a small map to give directions to the airport.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Sawyer asked him.

"What?"

"Why are you suddenly switching sides?"

"I guess it's because when Kate turned up I realised what a bad person I was. It brought back memories you know."

"Strange. She said the same damn thing." Said Sawyer.

"She thought she was a bad person?"

"No, no. The memories thing."

"Right."

"She's a special girl that's for sure."

Mark nodded in agreement.

* * *

Another one of 'The Control's jeeps drove up beside Hibbs' van. A gang member was aiming for him but accidentally hit the van's driver. He slumped downward, bleeding out.

"Shit," said Hibbs, switching seats as fast as he could.

In the few seconds this took the van lost control but was soon driving straight again.

Mark turned up the radio in his car. There was a breaking news report.

"… We are just getting confirmation that the driver has been shot and the passenger has taken control of the vehicle."

"What's this about?" asked Sawyer. They listened carefully as the reporter read out the van's number plate.

"It's him!" said Mark.

"Who? Hibbs?"

"Yeah, that route is on the way to the airport. He was taking the long way around."

"Then why are people shooting at him?"

"It's probably The Control. They must be a bit pissed off that we blew up their boat. I know a quicker way to the airport than Hibbs is going. Take a right here. It won't get us there before him but we might catch up to him if we're lucky."

Sawyer did as told and took a right.

While they drove along the streets of New York, Mark took out his cell phone and started fiddling with it.

"What are you doing?" asked Sawyer, "I thought you said it was busted,"

"I'm trying to make it work again," he said, taking out the battery and blowing air across the wet surface inside.

"You good at fixing things then?"

"Well, I never used to be." Mark replied. "I used to be a lot better at breaking them."

"What prompted a turnaround?" Sawyer asked.

"Why are you asking me all of this?" said Mark.

"No reason. You just remind me of someone I used to know."

Mark put the battery back, did up the case and pressed a button.

"Yes, it actually worked!" he said. He had one text message from Hibbs in his inbox. He checked it. It read; 'Are you alive?' And had been sent to him an hour ago. He decided straight away that he wasn't going to reply.

"Well who are you planning on calling exactly?"

"No-one, I need to go on the internet and check what time that flight is leaving. I saw the plane tickets in the boss's drawer yesterday, the flight number is 423." He pressed some more buttons presumably getting access to the airline's website. "Have you got a pen?"

"What for?"

"I need to write down the details so we don't forget."

Sawyer reached deep into his pockets and to his surprise he in fact did have a pen. It was the black biro that Miles had given him with a small, white DHARMA logo printed at the top.

"Here," he said, handing it over.

"Thanks," replied Mark, before scribbling down some notes on the edge of the map he was holding and tearing the entire section out. "Done." He gave the pen back to Sawyer who placed it back in his pocket. "There's still 40 minutes before that plane takes off."

* * *

Hibbs picked up speed as his van clashed with more gang vehicles. He kept trying to shake them off by making false turns and driving in strange ways. They were just coming up to a roundabout when, in a moment of desperation he took a huge swerve and skidded past several cars at a dangerous speed. Just as he did this, a large lorry came out behind him, narrowly missing a collision. The driver at panicked when they had seen the speeding van and accidentally tipped over right in front of 'The Control' and their jeeps, blocking their path.

"Brilliant," Hibbs said. The news helicopter had also been thrown off as the van sped away from the scene of the disaster. He knew that the police would not know that he had been part of the traffic commotion; after all he had acquired the van from someone who had originally stolen it. And so he drove away just as an aeroplane flew low, overhead. The airport was close.

* * *

Sawyer parked up in the airport's car park and he and Mark got out.

"Shit, he's already here," said Mark, pointing to a van on the other side of the car park. "Damn."

"I don't know, maybe he hasn't gone through the check-in desk yet."

"How's that important?"

"Got your passport on you?" He looked at Sawyer, who did not answer. "Yeah, me neither."

"Even if I did Mark, they wouldn't let me through."

"Why not?"

"The cops are after me. Didn't Hibbs tell you?"

"No."

"So basically, if he gets on that plane, it's game over." He and Mark looked defeated.

Some people passed rolling suitcases behind them. Suddenly Mark lit up.

"Unless… The hold, if we sneak across the airport tarmac, we could hide in there."

"Alright. So we hide and then deal with Hibbs when we land?"

"Yeah."

"So how do we get to the plane without raising any alarms?"

"I'm not sure. Look around, there may be a way to get the runway from here. We've still got 25 minutes."

* * *

Kate had a gun to her back. Well, not literally, Hibbs had left his own guns in the van. But as Kate held Clementine's hand while they crossed the shiny airport floor in front of him she felt just as if she was being held at gunpoint. There was not much of a choice for her, just as she was wondering if there was a way to escape, Hibbs stopped and was greeted by three men in suits.

"You made it," he said. "There are more of my 'employees' getting on this plane but I want you three to keep an eye out."

"What for?" asked one of them.

"Anyone that may pose a threat." He replied, "Whether 'The Control' arrive to wish me farewell or even if Sawyer makes an appearance. He may well have survived the blast on that boat."

The men nodded and went separate ways.

"Now, you two," he said, turning to Kate and Clementine. "I've got fake passports for you both, so take these-" he handed each of them their false documents. They looked pretty authentic to Kate, who had seen many fakes in her time on the run.

* * *

"I found a hole in this fence!" shouted Sawyer. Mark rushed over to where he was standing. There was indeed a large gap in the barbed wire fence. Through it he could easily see several planes waiting to take off. "Which one is it?" he asked.

"Whichever is gate 16." Said Mark after checking the piece of torn map he had wrote the details on. They squinted from left to right at the connecting corridors from the airport attach to the plane doors. There were painted numbers on the wall of each corridor; the one furthest to the left had a number 4 on it, the one next to it was 8, then 15 and next to that one- 16.

"There it is," Sawyer said, pointing to it.

"Looks like they're already loading the luggage onto it," Mark told him. There were a couple of men putting heavy-looking cases and cages into a rectangular opening at the bottom part of the plane. Sawyer recognised the Oceanic Airlines logo painted on the side.

"We should wait for those guys to leave," said Mark.

"How longs that gonna be?" asked Sawyer.

The men left after ten minutes or so and finally the two were able to crawl through the gap in the fence unseen and headed out across the runway tarmac. They tried to stay close to the wall of the building so it would be harder to spot them from the windows of the airport.

Suddenly a blue door opened from the wall and one of Hibbs' men came out. He saw Sawyer straight away.

"He's here!" shouted the man. Mark grabbed him from behind and knocked him out. The guy's body fell onto the ground but they could hear more hurried footsteps coming from behind the door. Instinctively, Sawyer and Mark ran from the door and towards flight 423; they did not know how many people were coming to catch them and whether they were armed.

The two quickly arrived at the plane, a large Boeing 747 and saw that there were two openings leading into different sections of the hold. Mark took the one closer to the tail end of the plane and Sawyer took the other. They could hear one of Hibbs' men close behind them.

Sawyer climbed up into the lower parts of the aircraft. It was cold, a bit dark and he could hear a faint humming sound. Dogs barked as he ran past them and hid behind some boxes next to a coffin. He poked his head out. Would the man chasing him climb up too? He did. But he didn't have a weapon. He cautiously walked down in Sawyer's direction.

Without warning the small door that led to the hold was slammed shut by airport staff. The plane was about to take off. It was now darker than before.

Sawyer jumped out of his hiding place and threw a punch at the other person. He was surprised and thrashed out, missing him by a long way.

They could hear the engines starting up and the motion of movement.

Sawyer attacked again, this time with a kick, it missed however and his opponent hit him in the stomach, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his footing. Suddenly the entire place lurched violently as they took off upwards and Sawyer fell, his head hitting a metal crate and spilling blood from a newly formed scar on his face. He was unconscious.

The man in a suit struggled to his feet as the floor finally levelled out. He forced open the nearby coffin and removed its dead occupant, replacing it with Sawyer. His boss had not told him whether to keep him alive or not. He put the top of the wooden casket back on and put the nails loosely back to their positions. Then he sat down and sighed. The hard part was over.

* * *

Sawyer was dreaming. For once, the church was absent from his sleep and instead he was thinking subconsciously. Hibbs' had more men with him. This had been proven by the fact that he had just been knocked out by one of them. How many more would there be on the plane? Surely he and Mark were outnumbered. It now seemed far more likely that when the plane landed he would die. Then he remembered the few hours he had spent in bed with Kate before the drug heist. It was hard to believe how much had happened in one day.

"Just don't do anything stupid." She had joked. He wished he hadn't.

* * *

Oceanic flight 423 was now flying high over the ocean. Clementine fell asleep rather quickly and Kate kept an arm around her. Hibbs read a magazine about cars and drank some vodka. Meanwhile, several cops were sat in a different part of the plane. A few rows behind them were gang member's of 'The Control'. They had followed Hibbs onto the plane and planned to attack him the moment they landed. Miles, Penny and Desmond had also seen Kate and Clementine in the terminal and followed them. Widmore Industries owned the airport so it was no trouble at all.

None of them could guess even for a second that the plane would not in fact be landing at all. That it would actually crash on an island.

* * *

**Well, we finally caught up with that Flash-Forward from way back at the end of Chapter Seven. If you enjoyed this chapter please read the next one too! And please review!**


	16. Influx

Hugo Reyes strolled calmly through the jungle by himself. Every now and then he would look up through gaps in the upper tree canopy at patches of the clear, blue sky. It was a beautiful day, it was very sunny and warm yet as he came out of the trees onto a cliff-side he was met with gentle, cool winds that neutralised the heat from the Sun.

He moved across to the edge of the cliff and looked upwards at the ancient, stone structure in front of him; a light-house.

"Here we go…" he said, to no-one in particular, as he entered the building and began to ascend up the many steps leading to the room at the top. When he finally reached the top he was out of breath. He looked around the room. There was a large, round block of marble in the centre with hundreds of names written around the edge. All of the names had been crossed out except for his own. On the other side of this dial, were the mirrors that he and Benjamin Linus had spent a lot of time replacing.

The mirrors used to show the homes belonging to certain 'candidates' but since Hugo had been chosen as the new protector of the island, the mirrors showed a great number of other things. Sometimes it would seem to be random but other times it felt like it was showing them something for a reason.

Hugo approached the mirrors and started to pull at the chains next to them, adjusting the angle at which they were facing. He didn't stop at all until the shiny surfaces had turned a full 360 degrees. He squinted through the bright sunlight reflecting off them and tried to see what else was in the mirror.

He could see a plane, then his friend Sawyer, his face covered in blood. Sawyer's daughter Clementine was also shown and then Kate Austen, who looked worried and slightly afraid.

Hugo could tell immediately that something was up. They needed help. He pulled a canteen out of his pocket and put the tip to his lips. The water from the heart of the Island flowed downward and he swallowed it giving him the feeling of energy that he would only feel every now and then. With this energy he focused hard on the plane he had just seen.

* * *

The turbulence made Clementine wake up. Kate was sitting next to her and comforted her, saying that some shakiness in a flight was perfectly normal and to be expected.

Hibbs looked up from his magazine and watched as she said this. Clementine went back to sleep shortly.

"What are you looking at?" asked Kate.

"I just find it strange that after a plane crash you don't seem to be afraid of flying at all."

"I'm not afraid because I survived that crash."

"Maybe if we crashed today you wouldn't be so lucky." He said.

"Actually I think in my current situation, dying would be extremely lucky."

More turbulence caused the plane to shake for a few seconds but this time Clementine stayed asleep.

"You don't fool me," Hibbs told her, "You love the attention. Maybe that's why you dumped Mark when he got bored with you." She looked at him.

"How much did Mark tell you about me?"

"Enough. Unfortunately I don't think he'll be saying much more in future."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, didn't you know darling? He's dead."

"You're lying."

"No. I sent him a text asking if he was alive and he still hasn't sent a reply. Our old friend Sawyer probably died too."

Suddenly the plane shuddered to the side and people started screaming as gas masks were let down. Everything was a blur but Kate felt herself being ripped from her seat and flung down the plane aisle as gravity shifted and the aircraft spiralled in an unknown direction.

* * *

Sawyer awoke a few hours later, still covered in blood. A dog was licking his face with it's wet tongue.

"Get off," he groaned, lightly pushing the animal away from him. The baggage hold was a complete mess. It was a moment before Sawyer even realised that he wasn't lying on the floor at all, but the ceiling of the hold.

It was slanted at a steep angle and there was a tree poking through the twisted metal next to him.

"What the hell?" he was confused about what was going on but something in his gut told him that whatever was happening was not necessarily very good. He looked down to see that the middle aisle led down like a strange, metal slide. At the bottom was a pile of stacked up crates and suitcases and even the smashed up coffin he had been kept in for a while. The only reason Sawyer had not yet fell down there was that his feet had got caught on a big box that had gotten stuck. He shook his leg a bit until it came free. He was still suspended toward the top but he began edging towards the middle and then held the box with his hand. "Okay," he said to himself. "Down we go," he let go and slid down, his feet hitting into the pile of crates at the bottom. He quickly regained his balance. He could see a door which had originally led upward to the passenger parts of the plane but now had been turned upside down.

He decided that he needed to find Hibbs, Kate or Mark, even Clementine if he could. He opened the door and climbed through it. There was a hole where the top of the stairs had been and he dropped down into the main compartment of the plane's tail.

There were a lot of unconscious people hanging from their seats but there seemed to be a distinct lacking of dead bodies. Most people seemed to be injured however. There was no-one he recognised so he climbed down the compartment, through some blue curtains and went into the plane's middle section. It appeared that many people had already escaped the plane as there were far more seats than people. Finally he saw somebody he knew- but it was not at all anyone he had been expecting to see.

"Miles? Miles wake up!"

Miles' eyes fluttered open.

"What's going on? In was on a plane…"

"You still are." Sawyer told him. "We crashed."

"Crashed?"

"Yeah, feels like Déjà vu to me too. We're lucky it didn't blow up or set on fire. In fact it seems pretty intact. Well apart from being upside down." Miles sat up and looked around.

"Let me guess, we're on the island."

"I don't know. But I wouldn't bet against it. How did you get on the flight?"

"Well, you had mentioned the airport on the phone so we went there and we saw a man with Kate and Clementine and-"

"Hang on, you saw Clementine?"

"Yeah."

"Was she okay?"

"As far as I could tell. But man, we've just been in a plane crash. There is a chance she's not okay anymore."

"She'll be fine."

"What makes you say that?" Miles asked him curiously.

"I haven't seen one dead body since I woke up. Do that voodoo thing if you don't believe me. Anyway you were saying…"

"Yeah, we saw them and decided to follow them."

"Did you even have a passport with you?"

"No but Penny's dad's company owned the airport so…" he trailed off.

"And Penny was with you?"

"Yes. And Desmond. I don't know where they are now."

"We need to get out." Said Sawyer, "We need to find them."

"Find who?"

"Any of them. All of them. Desmond, Penny, Hibbs. I was hiding in the baggage hold and Mark was in the other."

"Should we go there then?" asked Miles.

"Yeah, I think it's through here." The two of them went down to where there was a set of steps and climbed up through the door to the other hold. Mark was not there.

"Damn." Said Sawyer. The rectangular door to outside was already open. "He must have left already."

"Okay well I think he had the right idea." Said Miles. They went over to the opening and peered out.

The plane had landed amongst the tree tops and the ground was not visible from their current position.

"How far down do you think it is?" he asked. Sawyer shrugged and grabbed a nearby rucksack. He threw it out and they watched as it fell through the branches. A couple of seconds later they heard a splash.

"Water." Said Sawyer. "Sounded quite deep. We can make that jump."

"Are you sure?" They looked at each other and to Miles' surprise Sawyer jumped and disappeared through the trees and he heard a much louder splashing sound.

"Fair enough." He said before also making the leap.

* * *

Ben was sitting on a log looking out across the jungle. It had been a few hours since he had watched a plane fall from the sky and he hadn't seen Hurley since the day before. But suddenly the large man came out of the trees and sat down next to him.

"Hey Ben," he said.

"Hello Hugo. I see you've brought some people to the Island. May I ask why?"

"Dude, Sawyer was on that plane. And Kate. They need our help. Where's Walt?"

"He's at the temple for now."

"Cool. And by the way I made sure everyone survived the crash."

"All of them?"

"Yeah. I know you don't care so much but I don't think I'm ready to get any blood on my hands."

"Well it's your rules." Said Ben. Hurley followed his gaze to a gap in the trees where the bottom of the plane's tail was sticking out at an angle. "Are you going to go and greet them?"

"Not yet. I'll give them some time to recuperate before I get involved."

"That's a good idea."

* * *

Miles swam to the surface of the lake he had landed in and saw Sawyer across from him.

"Any of this look familiar to you?" he asked.

"Yeah. It's grid 126." Sawyer replied as they clambered onto some rocks.

"So we're back."

"Looks like it."

"But didn't grid 126 have a waterfall?"

"No, that's 134."

"Right." They stood up and Miles looked above. Very little of the plane was actually visible from the ground except for the nose of the cockpit which was poking out from above on the other side of the clearing.

"Actually the more I think about it, the more crashing seems pretty good."

"How so?"

"I'm sure Hibbs' had a lot of men on that plane and if they'd found me when we had landed I would probably have been screwed."

"Let's hope they don't find us now then. They might have smuggled some weapons on board."

They moved through the trees and found a group of passengers sitting on the floor, they seemed quite traumatised. Sawyer guessed correctly that it was their first plane crash. He crouched by them and after describing them, asked if they had seen Kate or Clementine. They hadn't so he and Miles carried on moving. They did not run into many other people after that.

"We can't keep searching like this," said Miles after some time. "They could already have got far away from here. Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Suddenly some men came out of the trees pointing guns at them both. They were wearing cop uniforms.

* * *

Kate was lying on some rocks high up, the top of a cave. It was covered in leaves and vines.

She was regaining consciousness slowly. After a few minutes she stood up and almost hit her head on part of the plane that was lodged in the tree canopy.

"Crap," she muttered to herself. Hibbs and Clementine were nowhere around. She took a hold of a vine and used it to rappel her way down to the forest floor, her feet against the hard edge. She finally reached the bottom and let go, giving her a chance to look around.

The plane had crash-landed in the densest part of the jungle. It had to be the Island. She thought to herself, where else could it be? But she wanted answers- why was she brought back yet again? Was the Island not yet done with her?

Kate screamed as a body fell from above and landed in front of her. The body got up and she saw it was Desmond.

"Desmond? What are you doing here?" before he could answer, Penny had landed next to him. "Penny, you too?"

"Sorry if we frightened you," said Desmond.

"You were on the plane?" she asked him.

"Yes," Penny answered, getting to her feet. "We saw you in the airport and followed you."

"Why were you even in the airport?"

"Your friend Miles told us that he'd got a phone call from Sawyer telling him something about an airport." Said Desmond.

"Wait, what time did he get the call?"

"I don't see what that has to do with it-"

"What time was it?"

"I don't know! About midday maybe." Kate looked relieved. Sawyer had survived the boat explosion. And he'd known about the plane. He might even have got on it somehow.

"Did he say if Sawyer mentioned a guy called Mark?"

"Not that I remember, no." Desmond told her. "Miles would know but we don't know where he's gone."

Then they heard the sound of car engines starting nearby.

"Hide!" said Penny and they crouched behind a tall rock and watched as several jeeps rolled past.

"Who are they?" asked Desmond. The people in the jeeps had guns and Kate recognised their logo printed on each jeep- it had been on the boat too.

"It's that gang." She told them. "'The Control'"

"What should we do?" said Penny.

"Let's just wait for them to pass. These guys can get really pissed off when people get in their way." Kate replied. When all of the vehicles had gone the trio stood up again.

"We've got to get off of this bloody Island again." Said Desmond angrily. "We've got to get back to Charlie."

"Hey, don't worry. I'll make sure that both of you get out of here so you can be with your son again." Said Kate. Desmond and Penny looked doubtful but thanked her anyway.

* * *

Hibbs opened his eyes and saw some clouds directly above him. He sat up and took in his surroundings. He was in a small field and around the edge of the field were trees that built up a large jungle. He stood up and scanned the field. Kate and Clementine were nowhere to be seen; in fact he was completely on his own. His memories returned and he remembered the plane hitting turbulence- it must have crashed. His back was a bit bruised but he had not sustained any serious injuries. He walked into the jungle but there was no one around.

"Kid, where'd you go?" he called out. There was no reply.

He stepped across some stones over a stream and went up a small hill. It was very quiet and the only noises he could her was the trickle of water and the animals in the jungle making buzzing and clicking sounds, even the occasional mating cry from a tropical bird.

As he came into a clearing he finally came across some people. They were his men, still dressed in suits. One spotted him and rushed over.

"Boss, are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. I need to find the two people I was with."

"We're already on that sir. In fact we just caught one of them."

"You got one?"

"Yes, she was on her own, just wondering around. Some of the other guys are watching her. They're in a cave just up there." He gestured to a rocky path that led up through the trees.

"Which one was it?"

"The kid."

"Oh, it was Clementine. Good…"

* * *

"You come from the plane?" one of the cops asked Miles and Sawyer.

"Yes." Said Miles, with his hands up.

"Names?"

"I'm Miles Straume and this is-"

"-Tom Sawyer."

The cop nodded.

"Get me the manifest." He said to one of his team. They opened up a messenger bag and took out a clipboard with the flight's manifest attached to it.

"We just need to tick off survivor's names if you don't mind." He was handed the board and he ran a finger down it. "Okay… Miles Straume there, he ticked off the name with a pen and continued looking. He frowned and re-read it. Then he looked up and cocked his gun.

"No Tom Sawyer on this list. So either you're lying about your name or you were on the plane illegally. Which is it? Tell me now."

There was no point lying, it would most likely get them in more trouble.

"It's both." Sawyer told him.

"Well I appreciate your honesty but I'm afraid-" the cop's head was then hit by a bullet and blood spurted out.

"Shit! Run!" shouted one of the other officers and they retreated into the jungle. Sawyer and Miles were crouching and heard their saviour approaching. Sawyer looked up and saw with relief who it was.

"Mark!" they stood back up, "thanks, you just saved our asses."

"I know," he replied. "This is Miles?"

"Yeah," said Sawyer as Mark took Miles' hand and shook it.

"Sorry but I'm still not completely sure about who you are."

"He was with Hibbs but he switched sides luckily for us."

"Switched sides?"

"Yes," said Mark, "I decided it was time to ditch the boss. He thinks I'm dead."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Miles asked sceptically.

"I'm an old friend of Kate's." he replied.

"He just saved our lives, mine for the second time. If that doesn't make you trust him I don't know what will." Said Sawyer. Miles nodded finally.

"Fine."

"Good. So Mark you haven't seen Kate or Clementine at all since we got here?"

"No. I don't have a clue where we are either."

"Kate never told you about this Island?"

"She told me she was in a plane crash before, she was one of the Oceanic Six but she didn't talk much about the actual experience."

"Then we should probably fill you in." said Sawyer.

"About what?"

"Everything."

* * *

**Well, they're back. But for how long? What does the Island have in store? Thank you for reading. Please leave a review :)**


	17. Over the Edge

**Chapter 17! Enjoy.**

* * *

Sawyer finally sat back having finished his story. It was late at night. He, Mark and Miles were sitting around a camp fire they had made and Mark looked disbelieving. He looked at Miles who nodded.

"It's true." He said.

"All of it?"

"Yeah."

"The time travel, the evil monster, the, the… polar bear on a tropical island?"

"I know it's a lot for you to take in." said Sawyer. "But that's our story whether you choose to believe it or not."

"Well I don't think I do." Mark told him.

"Okay. It doesn't matter. The Island will show you its true nature when it's the right time." Said Sawyer.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"All I'm saying is that sooner or later things are gonna get weird. And when they do I don't want you to say we didn't warn you. This is no ordinary place. It may not be a good place but it definitely isn't your average island."

Mark looked into the fire. He had seen strange things in the past but not anything quite as strange as what Sawyer had just described to him.

"So if I say, hypothetically, if what you have just told me is the truth, that means the Oceanic Six lied. After Kate told me who she was I watched the press conference on the internet."

"The Oceanic Six lied about almost everything," said Sawyer, "Aaron wasn't even Kate's real son."

Mark was shocked at all of these revelations. Kate had told him she was a single mother and that she had left Aaron with a friend. When they were together she had even promised that one day she'd bring Aaron to New York so he could meet him.

"We should go to sleep," said Miles "Get some rest. God knows what's gonna happen tomorrow." Sawyer nodded and they each lay down on some seat cushions that had fallen from the plane. It had been a long day. The three of them had moved away from where the aircraft was lodged in the trees and in the clearing they were currently in they had a clear view of the stars above. They appeared a lot brighter than they would have back in New York or L.A. because of no light pollution on the Island. Sawyer stared up at the distant flickering constellations as he fell asleep. The next day they would start looking for Hibbs who presumably still had his daughter.

* * *

"The girl is just through here sir." Said one of Hibbs' men as they both entered the cave. It was lit by some torches they had made. There, sitting on the dusty floor was Clementine. Her clothes were filthy as she had not been able to change since she was first kidnapped a week earlier. She was sleeping.

Hibbs sat down on a rock and took out his cell phone. There was no signal.

"It was worth a try," he said to the guards who were watching him. "Anyway, now that we're here, what are we going to do with her?"

"Well it's hard to say, sir. It depends on how long we're going to be here but that is not exactly something we can predict."

Some men came in suddenly; they were holding someone by the scruff of their neck. The person was wearing a cop's uniform.

"Boss, we caught this guy outside. He was watching us from the bushes. Says he's a cop."

"Well he certainly looks like one." Said Hibbs.

"I'm sorry," said the cop shakily. He was sweating uncontrollably. "I was on the plane too. The Oceanic flight. And I was with the rest of the officers but we were questioning two guys when someone started shooting at us, and we scattered."

"Who was shooting at you?" asked Hibbs.

"I don't know. We couldn't see where the bullet came from or how many people were there."

"Who were the people you were questioning?"

"We don't know, one of them was lying about his name. He said his name was Tom Sawyer but there was no Tom Sawyer on the manifest."

"Tom Sawyer huh?" said Hibbs. He stood up and started laughing. He whispered something in one of the guards' ears. The guard handed him something and he walked over to the cop. "Thank you." He said. "You've been very helpful." Then in one quick motion he plunged his knife into the cop whose breath shot out of his body before he even had time to scream. He slid to the floor where his blood continued to pour out.

"Sawyer is here. This means we still have a use for that girl. She's still our little hostage."

* * *

Miles crept across the leafy floor and into some trees. Mark and Sawyer were still fast asleep. He unzipped his flies and sighed in relief while he released his pee into the bushes. He looked up and suddenly saw something through the trees. He zipped up again and cautiously came out into a different clearing. What he had seen was a vehicle- a small six wheel truck. It was painted in kaki colours and had been left on its own with nobody guarding it.

As far as Miles could see it was in good condition. The back section could have cargo in it although it was currently empty and the whole thing looked like it had been cleaned shortly before it had been put on the plane as it was quite shiny. There were more tire tracks leading out of the clearing meaning whoever left it there probably only did it because they had more vehicles than they had drivers.

* * *

"Guys, wake up, you're gonna like this!" whispered Miles. He shook Sawyer by the shoulder until he came to and Mark woke up as well.

"What are you talking about?" Mark asked him.

"Just come with me!"

So the two got up off the ground and followed Miles to the other clearing where the truck was.

"Holy shit," said Sawyer. "This is great!"

"I know right."

"Sorry but how is this thing going to help us at all?" asked Mark.

"We were on this Island for three years so by now we know where the major landmarks are. One of the people who originally crashed in our plane- his name was Hugo, is still here. And using this we can get to him."

"He's still here? I just don't see why anyone would want to stay."

"Well, I guess you'll have to ask him about it when you meet him." Said Sawyer.

"Where do you think he'll be?" Miles asked him.

"My best guess would be old Dharmaville, after all it has some comfy beds and electricity. Ben's probably there too."

"And you two know how to get there from here?" Mark said doubtfully.

"Absolutely. I just hope I'm right and they are actually there."

Thunder rumbled in the sky above and suddenly it started pouring down with rain.

"Oh, that's another thing," shouted Miles, "you need to get used to the crazy weather here."

"Okay, who's driving?" asked Mark.

"I'll do it." Miles said.

"I call shotgun!" shouted Sawyer.

"Come on that's not fair, where am I gonna sit?"

"Sorry man you have to sit out here."

"But it's raining!"

"Don't worry, the storm will pass soon,"

He got into the passenger seat and Miles got into the driver's position with Mark sitting outside on the back part of the truck and they drove off through the deep jungle.

* * *

Penny had not slept on the rough forest floor and had given up trying in the early hours of the morning. Eventually Desmond and Kate had woken up and Kate had gone looking for supplies in the plane wreckage.

"So what are we going to do now Des?" she asked him as they sat under a tree to protect themselves from the rain."How exactly do we get off the Island?"

"Don't worry," he comforted her, "Hurley and Ben will get us out of this place. We just have to go and find them first, well after we find Clementine."

"I'm guessing that will be easier said than done." She said.

Desmond did not reply.

* * *

Kate was already getting back into 'island mode'. She had been back for less than twenty-four hours and had already found an excuse to climb a tree. She needed to find some food from the plane but the way the aircraft had crashed upside down in the canopy was not at all helpful. With all the rain it was also bringing back unpleasant memories of going out to find the cockpit of Oceanic 815 several years earlier.

She found one of the doors and it had already been thrown open in the impact of the crash and climbed inside. The plane appeared to be empty, there was no-one in sight dead or alive.

Kate clambered upward, stopping every now and then to check an overhead compartment.

She unzipped a dark blue suitcase she had found and pulled it open. She could still hear the soft patting of water against the cold metal of the crashed aircraft. Inside the suitcase was a bunch of men's clothes, a laptop that's screen had cracked and some sandwiches. She put the sandwiches into her rucksack and moved on.

Suddenly there was a quiet sound from nearby. It sounded like footsteps. She looked around wildly trying to figure out the direction the footsteps were coming from. A lone figure came out of the shadows, it was a woman.

"Sorry if I scared you," she said, "I was on this plane too. I'm just looking for my bag."

"That's okay," Kate replied. She didn't know why she had gotten so scared but it was probably because she had still been thinking of the moment that Seth Norris had been brutally murdered by the smoke monster. "I'm Kate," she said, in an attempt to take her mind off of it.

"I'm Anne." Said the other woman, "but you can call me Annie." She had more freckles than Kate and her hair was a lighter shade of brown.

"Well what does your bag look like Annie?"

"It's kind of like your rucksack but it has a blue stripe across it."

"Actually, I think I saw it somewhere over here," Kate said, moving back to the compartments she had just checked. While she searched, Annie politely tried to make small talk.

"Were you travelling alone?" she asked.

"No," Kate replied truthfully, "but I need to find a little girl I was with, Clementine. She's eight years old, you haven't seen her have you?"

"Sorry, I haven't,"

"What about you?"

"I was just on my own." Annie told her.

"Here it is," said Kate, picking up the bag with the blue stripe and beginning to open it.

"What are you doing?" asked Annie, snatching it off her. "Sorry, it's just that there's some personal stuff in here."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Its fine, you were just trying to be helpful." They didn't talk for a moment.

"I have a couple of friends waiting for me," said Kate, "you're welcome to join us if you like. You can help us look for Clementine too."

"Are you sure I wouldn't get in the way?"

"Of course I'm sure."

"Thanks."

The two of them went back to the open plane door and climbed down onto the wet ground below.

* * *

"Finally," uttered Mark as at long last the rain stopped. His clothes were soaked.

Miles was trying to steer the truck safely through the jungle but sometimes he wouldn't change direction in time and they would make impact with a tree sending it falling. As this happened again Miles scowled.

"Try to be more careful," Sawyer told him.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit tired." He replied, rolling down a window to let some air in.

"Well once you've got the steering right it wouldn't hurt to go a bit faster either."

"Hey, I'm trying my best okay, if you want to drive be my guest,"

"Miles look out!"

He hadn't seen the large clump of bushes and trees directly ahead and swerved just in time. He felt the whole vehicle shudder as it hit another- it was a police car.

"Oh, shit." He said. They had come right into a clearing with some cops, who had now spotted them and were getting into the other cop cars.

"Reverse!" shouted Sawyer. Miles had no desire to do anything different and slammed the reverse pedal, sending the truck backwards. He turned and accelerated, the cop cars close behind.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Mark called from outside.

A loud noise started up suddenly- the police sirens.

"Is this fast enough for you?" Miles asked.

"Yeah, I think it is!" replied Sawyer.

A cop in the car closest behind them leaned out of the window and started firing a gun at them.

"Crap!" Mark exclaimed. He was the only one in the back of the truck and the most vulnerable to get hit. He pulled his own gun out of his pants and peered over the back to aim at the cop. He pulled the trigger and hit the man's arm, causing him to yell in pain and drop his weapon.

"What's going on out there?" Miles asked. Sawyer looked in his wing mirror and saw the gun fight that was happening.

"Fuck, they're gonna kill him, I need to go back and help."

"There's a gun in the glove compartment," No sooner had Miles told him, Sawyer had ripped it open and grabbed the weapon inside.

"Drive safe," he said, before opening the door of the truck. He held on tight with the knowledge that if he let go he would get severely hurt, after all they were driving at about 90 miles per hour.

With his free hand he fired some warning shots at the cop cars while he climbed around to the back to join Mark.

"Need some help?"

"No actually I'm doing fine by myself so far,"

"Right," said Sawyer sarcastically, "Of course," before they could keep talking another bullet scraped the metal surface behind them.

Miles was finding it increasingly more difficult to manoeuvre the truck through the trees without slowing down. He went through some trees and before he knew it he was driving down a river, flowing with more water than usual because of the rain that fell earlier. The police cars had no choice but to follow the trio through the rapids and as Miles drove over some rocks he could still hear a lot of shooting going on behind him. He was momentarily distracted but that was all it took- a huge white shape appeared out of nowhere in front of him and he crashed straight into it.

The wounded polar bear flung heavily out of the way and splashed into the river.

Mark and Sawyer saw it float past them from where they were sitting.

"Believe me about the polar bear now?" Sawyer asked. Mark was speechless.

Miles was still recovering from the shock of hitting the bear and it took him a moment to realise that the jungle was becoming less dense and they were actually leaving the trees and out of an opening. The cars came out onto a high cliff, from which the green mountains of the Island and yellow hazy Sun were visible and over the edge of the cliff was a colossal waterfall, far bigger than any Miles, Mark or Sawyer had ever seen before.

Miles tried to brake and turn left but hit a rock that actually sent the truck off to the right.

"Fuck!" he screamed. He desperately pulled at his seatbelt just as Mark and Sawyer were noticing what was going on. They all flew over the edge with the vehicle.

Sawyer jumped up and grabbed a vine on the side of the cliff, water tumbling down against his weight continuously. Mark tried to grab his hand but the water had made their hands too slippery and he could not grip it properly.

Sawyer looked upwards at the clear blue sky and saw a cop car drive over the edge and fall hundreds of metres below just behind the truck which still contained Mark and Miles.

He held the vine with all his strength and tried to pull himself up but it was no use.

* * *

Meanwhile the polar bear that Miles had hit had been carried to a smaller stream where it tumbled down across the Island, still with blood pouring out of its side. It floated with the water and through a bamboo forest. It slowly flowed toward a cave from which a bright golden light was glowing.

* * *

**Thankyou for reading! Remember I love reading reviews :)**


	18. Author's Note

**Sorry to any of you who read each chapter when it is uploaded as I know I haven't been doing much for a while. I wrote half of the next chapter quite a while ago but since then I've been rather busy and unfortunately I will still be busy until late July. I did manage to finish a short story though, it's called 'The Hangover' and you may like it. But that short is seriously the last thing I did before I was suddenly alarmingly busy.**

**Anyways this note is just to let you know that I do not have any plans to give up this fanfic!**

**I know it may have annoyed you to find out that this wasn't an actual chapter so I'm going to instead give you some background to how I began writing this story which will hopefully interest you.**

**I handwrote the first chapter in a notebook at the end of May 2010 because Lost had just finished and I didn't really know how to keep it alive.**

**However I never really got around to writing any more than those first 1000 words and didn't really plan to.**

**Then in August, I visited Rome with my family and just happened to have the same notebook I had written the chapter in. I was really bored so I read it out to my sister. My sis is no lost fan but she knew who some of the characters were and had seen a season or two. She said that she really enjoyed it and I got a kick out of being praised so I took some ideas I had floating around my head and handwrote more as the vacation went on and we travelled to Sorrento. I wrote most of chapter three in a coach trip up Mount Vesuvius.**

**I continued writing these early chapters as early drafts until I returned home. Then I was busy again through September and in October I finally started typing it all up in more detail, made an account for this site and uploaded the first chapter.**

**Since then I have had a lot of fun developing my ideas and the story and all of it and I find it hard to accept it has been about a year since I started it.**

**I must thank everyone who has been reading the story too because without you, it would seem pointless to upload it. I am always amazed to see how many people from such a wide range of places are reading my work and it makes it all worth while.**

**One more thing, you can check out my you tube channel if you like. My account is 'fracturedtime777' and all my uploaded videos are lost-related so you may be interested.**

**Thanks for your patience :)**


	19. The Discovery

**I know I've been missing in action for a while but I am back (for now) and I can only apologise about the shortness of this chapter but the story is going to change drastically over the next few parts so just take in what's going on and I'll try to get the next chapter done the next time I have a spare moment. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Miles held his breath and calmly reached for his seatbelt. After all, yanking it anxiously had not done any good so far. As he finally clicked it open some bubbles were released and floated up past him.

Next he moved his arm towards the door of the truck and opened it slowly, using a lot of force against the pressure of the water. He climbed out of the truck and began swimming upward as fast as he could to the shimmering light above, on the lake's surface.

Miles broke through and took in a huge gulp of air. He had come close to losing consciousness and his head was spinning.

He looked around for Mark, who he could now see was climbing out and shaking off the water. The cops that had flown off the waterfall however, had not been so lucky and the police car they were in had hit some nearby rocks that were sharply protruding out from the edge of the cliff.

"Remind me not let you drive," said Mark, breathlessly. Miles ignored him.

"Where's Sawyer?" he asked turning back to look at the lake, fearing the worst.

"He jumped out of the back. Last time I saw him he was holding onto some vines for dear life… He tried to catch me but it all happened so fast."

They both looked up and squinted at the top of the waterfall but it was useless. If Sawyer was still hanging there, the angle of the cliff would be blocking him completely from view.

Suddenly there was some rustling coming from the tree line. Miles reached for his gun but realised he no longer had it.

Two women came out of the bushes- Kate Austen and Penelope Widmore.

"Kate?" said Mark. He ran up and hugged her. She looked really surprised and happy.

"You're getting me wet!" she said.

"Oh, sorry," he replied, breaking the hug.

"Why are you two so wet?" asked Penny. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the dead policemen over there would it?"

"Actually, it does, we kind of got into a bit of a car chase," Miles told her. Kate rolled her eyes- they were on an Island in the middle of nowhere and the guys were still managing to get themselves into trouble.

"Where's Sawyer?" asked Kate.

"Well funny you should say that," replied Miles, "we were just wondering the same thing ourselves."

* * *

Sawyer knew that he could not keep his grip on the vines much longer. Water was relentlessly pouring over him, making him slip further every few seconds. He had gone rock-climbing with a friend of his once and he had been quite good at it but it was nothing like this. He was looking to find a ledge to latch his foot onto but couldn't see a single place that didn't look risky.

His thoughts were scrambled. Where was Kate? If he let go, would he arrive at the church and meet her? Or would everything just disappear?

Then, a hand appeared in front of him, reaching over the edge.

He grabbed it with all his might and felt himself being pulled up. He lay down with his eyes closed- he had used up almost all of his energy just by holding on. He hadn't been ready to let go- not yet.

"Come on, we've got to go. Now. The cops are coming." Said a familiar voice.

Sawyer forced his eyes open and saw Benjamin Linus standing above him. He groaned and rolled a little on the ground. His head hurt too much.

"Well, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way…" said Ben. He took a hold of Sawyer by the shoulders and dragged him across the river and back into the jungle. Everything felt like a blur to Sawyer.

About half an hour later he awoke amongst some trees and Ben was still there with him. He sat up.

"How's your head?" asked Ben.

"It hurts." He replied.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. You just had hundreds of gallons of water pounding against it. I think you earned that nap."

"You saved me."

"Yes, I did. You're welcome."

"Why isn't Hugo with you?"

"He's at the temple. Unfortunately he is so far reluctant to intervene in events. You're lucky I was passing by." Suddenly a though occurred to Sawyer.

"Where is Miles? And Mark?"

"Who's Mark? I only saw you hanging there…"

"No, they… they went over. They're probably dead…"

"They're not dead." Said Ben confidently.

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Sorry, what I really should have said is that they're not dead yet. You lot have only just got here and the Island no doubt has other things planned."

"You seem to know a lot about this Island."

"Well maybe you should speak to Hugo. He knows even more than I do."

"So we're going to the temple?"

"Yes we are."

"And what are we going to do after that?"

"Then we work out how we're going to get your daughter back."

* * *

Desmond looked at his sandwich in a disapproving way. He wished he had never got on Oceanic flight 423- there were plenty of brilliant restaurants back in New York City. He was starving and had promised himself he could wait until Kate and Penny had come back from collecting fruit but they had already been gone for almost an hour and his stomach was not happy.

A few meters away, Annie was sitting on a log looking at something in her bag. She looked like she was day-dreaming.

Desmond was just opening the plastic packaging of the sandwich when he felt a cold, metal circle prodding the back of his neck- the end of a rifle.

"Don't make a sound." Said a deep voice from behind him.

He saw another man holding a gun to Annie who had just noticed. She screamed.

"SHUT UP!" shouted one of the men with guns as several more came into the clearing. They fired a shot in the air and Annie fell silent.

Now Desmond could see what they were wearing he recognised them from when he had caught a glimpse of them the day before. Kate had told him they were members of a gang- 'The Control'.

"Where's our truck?"

Asked the man pointing a rifle at Desmond.

"What? What truck?"

"We came back for our truck and it wasn't there. Could it really be a coincidence that you and your friend over there were camping so close to where it disappeared from?"

"We didn't take your damn truck brotha or we'd be half way across the bloody island by now!"

"He has a point," said one of the gang members.

"Right," said another and they lowered their guns. "But what're we gonna do with 'em?"

"I have an idea. Only a few of us were on that plane and we're going to need as many soldiers as possible to carry out what the boss told us to do. I say we sign them up."

"You think these two are 'Control' material?"

"I'm not sure, but if we shoot them now we'll never know."

The gang members still looked indecisive.

"We'll do it!" shouted Annie. "Whatever your boss asked you to do, we'll help!"

"Okay. Good. Let's go back to the others before they send out a search group."

As they all filed out of the clearing Desmond approached a member of 'The Control'.

"What is it exactly your boss wants us to do?" he asked.

"To locate and kill someone. A guy called Hibbs."

* * *

Hurley was knelt down by the healing pool in the temple, staring into the glistening water. Walt came into the room.

"Hey man. What are you doing?" he asked.

"Something's wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"The water."

"It looks fine to me…" said Walt.

Hurley was deep in thought. There was only one explanation for the feeling he was getting as he looked at the water but it could not possibly be correct and if it was they were all in a lot of danger.

A man came in and saw Hurley.

"Hugo, Ben's back. He's brought someone with him."

"Thanks Harrison." Hurley replied as the man left.

He got up and left, Walt close behind. They came out into the temple courtyard and could now see Ben and with him, Sawyer.

"Hugo," said Sawyer, shaking Hurley's hand.

"Wow, Sawyer you've changed," said Walt.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

"It's me, Walt"

"WALT? I haven't seen you in like seven years!"

"I know," he replied.

They all sat down in the courtyard on some logs.

"Why are you here?"

"Hurley's been training me. And he helped me say goodbye to my dad."

"Training you?"

"Yeah, to be the next island protector."

"Hugo I believe James has some questions for you." Said Ben.

"Cool, I'll answer anything you want to know." Hurley told Sawyer.

"Okay, um… I don't know where to start…"

"You want to know why you're back here." Sawyer nodded slowly. "Well I can tell you exactly why you're back. But you're not ready to find out."

"And when will I be ready?

"When you have made your decision."

"What decision?"

"I told you I'd answer anything, but I never said I'd do it straight away."

"Great," sighed Sawyer.

Hurley stood up. "We need to go to the lighthouse."

"Why?" asked Ben.

"Because something's wrong with the healing pool. I need to know what's causing it. Ben, please stay here for now with Walt. Sawyer, you can come too, and after we've just checked this thing at the lighthouse, then I promise I will help you find Clementine."

"Thankyou." Sawyer replied.

Hurley and his right hand man, Harrison, led him out and back into the jungle.

* * *

When Kate, Penny, Miles and Mark had heard Annie scream and a gunshot they had all ran to reach the small camp but by the time they got there, she and Desmond were gone.

"Shit, where the hell did they go?" asked Penny, wishing she had never parted from her husband for even a second.

"There are fresh tracks here," said Kate, examining the muddy ground, "A lot of them," it was obvious that a lot of people had been there just moments earlier.

"Could it be the hostiles?" asked Penny. Kate shook her head.

"No, they don't leave tracks."

"So then who was here?" said Miles, "could it have been Hibbs' men?"

"I doubt it," Mark told him, "They're already holding Clementine captive, I don't really see why they would want to take more hostages."

"So it must have been The Control?" said Miles.

"Looks like it." Kate replied.

"You can track," said Penny, "you can help us find them,"

"I'm sorry but I have to keep looking for Sawyer."

"I can track," said Miles.

"Okay, Penny, Miles, you follow the tracks to find out why they were taken and where to, Mark you need to show me the way back to the top of that waterfall so we can find Sawyer."

"Okay," replied Mark.

Penny nodded in agreement and they broke away, leaving the clearing in opposite directions.

* * *

Sawyer, Hurley and Harrison came out of some bushes and onto the edge of a cliff. Towering above them was the ancient lighthouse. Sawyer had only seen a glimpse of it before, when he had left the island on 316. Seeing it from this angle was a completely different experience and he found it difficult to cope with how tall the structure was.

He peered over the cliff edge and saw the ocean waves violently crashing against some sharp rocks at the bottom. Meanwhile, Hurley was unlocking the door to the lighthouse and went inside.

"We wait here," Harrison told Sawyer firmly.

So Sawyer patiently stood and calmly wondered what on earth was at the top of the building.

* * *

Hurley finally reached the top and took out more water from the stream at the heart of the island. It was his last bottle of it and he knew he'd have to stock up again soon. He swallowed it and stared into the lighthouse mirrors. A shiver went down his spine as he watched a polar bear floating down the stream into the light cave. Then there were flashes of other groups of people, Kate and Mark, Penny and Miles, The Control, marching along with Desmond and another woman he did not recognise. Then the remains of the cops and afterwards he saw Hibbs and Clementine surrounded by armed men. Then back to the light cave which had become dimmer and suddenly there was a threatening roar as a beast exploded outward from the dark.

* * *

Hurley stumbled out of the door to the lighthouse. He was pale and looked like he was going to faint. He collapsed, barely conscious.

"Hugo!" shouted Harrison, rushing to his side. Sawyer watched worriedly as this went on, he didn't know what to do.

"He's back." Said Hurley.

"Who's back?" Harrison asked him.

"The man who killed my friends." He met eyes with Sawyer, who was standing a few meters away, "The man who killed our friends." With that, Hurley passed out.

"What the hell did he mean?" asked Harrison.

Sawyer breathed in and out slowly. When Hugo had stared into his soul with a look of fear on his face he had known there was only one thing it could be.

He paused and said blankly.

"The Man In Black. He's here."

* * *

**L O S T **

**Thanks for reading! Next chapter is being written...**


	20. Smoke and Mirrors

**I am back from Italy with a nice long chapter! This one has been in my head since the beginning so it was great to finally write it out :)**

* * *

"This 'Man in Black'," said Harrison Cole as he peeled a mango, "he must be pretty bad news. I've never seen Hugo look that scared." He gestured towards Hurley, who was unconscious, on the ground.

"You're right. This guy is dangerous. Weren't you on the island last time he fucked everything up?"

"No, I came here a couple of years ago. My ship got wrecked and I woke up on the shore of this place. Hugo took me in. He offered me a way back to the mainland but… There was nothing left for me out there."

"Well anyway we can't let the Man in Black get too powerful," Replied Sawyer, "We have to kill him as soon as we get the chance."

"He's that bad?" asked Harrison, doubtfully.

"Yes." Croaked Hurley from the ground. He raised his head and took in the air. He sat up. "He is that bad."

"So, how did you find out he's back? Does he still look like Locke?" asked Sawyer.

"It's complicated." Replied Hurley.

"Hey, don't start telling me what's complicated. If you don't want to tell me all the island's secrets, fair enough but Sun, Jin, Sayid… Jack; they were my friends too. So I have a right to know what that bastard is up to."

Hurley nodded; some colour was coming back to his cheeks.

"Okay. Well, there is a certain type of energy on this island."

"What, the electromagnetism?"

"Not exactly… but that is a side effect. Anyway the heart of the island is the source of this energy and when a life form is consumed by this energy a window opens in their death. This happened to the Man in Black a long time ago, back when he was human. When Jack killed him his spirit was left… on a scale. For a few weeks I didn't hear anything from him but then he came back. Not physically but as one of the dead. He warned me many times that if someone else fell into the heart of the island he could take their form."

"So that's what happened? Who was it that fell down there this time?"

"One of the bears."

Sawyer raised his eye brows.

"A polar bear?" he asked.

"Yes. But he's been gone for so long that he'd forgotten how to take the form of an animal properly. There were problems and something went wrong. He's still black smoke but he's fused with the bear."

"How do you know all of this?"

"There's a mirror up in the lighthouse," said Hurley, "It can harness the island's energy to show past, present and every now and then it can show a glimpse of the future."

Sawyer looked shocked from the sudden intake of so much information.

"Harrison," said Hurley. "Go back to the temple, warn them that the Man in Black is here."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah. If any human dies now, their form will be taken. We can't let that happen."

"Do you mean, that we're not allowed to let anyone die?"

"That is exactly what I mean."

Harrison looked confused.

"Don't we want him to take human form? Surely that would be better than part smoke, part bear."

"If he becomes human, he'll have a voice. And on this island, words can be the most dangerous weapons of all."

Harrison thought about this last comment and then nodded. He headed off back into the jungle in the direction of the temple.

Sawyer turned to face Hurley.

"So are we gonna get my daughter back now?"

"I'd like to speak to that kidnapper anyway so maybe we can make an arrangement while we're there."

"You want to speak to Hibbs?"

"Yes, because I saw something else in those mirrors. There's a group of people on their way to kill that guy right now. And like I said, we can't let anyone die here from now on. Not even him."

* * *

Kate and Mark were headed upwards to the top of the waterfall which 'The Control's truck had been driven off just a few hours before. They were still looking for Sawyer and had decided it was their best hope as after all, it was the last known location that he had been seen by Mark and Miles.

It was now late afternoon and the jungle was extremely hot. The air was increasingly humid and Mark took off his top. When he spotted Kate glancing over at him, he was quick to hold in his stomach, which was a bit bigger than it had been a couple of years earlier. He and Kate continued to trek, with their eyes back to the cliff edge so they didn't lose sense of direction.

"Sawyer told me a lot about what happened," said Mark breathlessly.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked him.

"About 815... And this place."

Kate paused. In the few months she had been in a relationship with Mark she had never felt that the time was right to tell him what really happened to the passengers of Oceanic Flight 815 or even mention the crazy island she had spent such a huge part of her life thinking about.

Mark carried on;

"He told me about the natives, the monster and the true story behind your son. So the question is... Why did you never tell me any of it when we were together?"

After her long silence Kate spoke.

"I didn't trust you."

"Didn't trust me?"

"And in the end you proved that you never deserved my trust in the first place."

"That girl meant nothing to me, I told you before."

"What is this really about?" she asked angrily. "Cos you sound like you're full of bullshit!"

"You're asking me what this is about? If you had put your trust in me to begin with, maybe I would have been properly in love with you. Why are you even bringing this up again?"

"Because you are in love with me now!"

They both fell quiet. Mark didn't know what to say. He knew that the way he had acted on 'The Control's boat had confirmed her suspicions that he still had feelings for her. There was no point in denying it.

"It doesn't matter whether I love you or not."

"It matters a lot." She retorted.

"No it doesn't! We had surveillance in your fucking hotel room, Kate! You love Sawyer."

Her heart sank. She remembered how Jack had seen her in the cages with Sawyer six years before. It was as if history was repeating itself.

"Look," said Mark calmly, "we're here".

While the two had been arguing they had reached the top of the waterfall. There was nobody there any more, presumably the cops had assumed Sawyer, Mark and Miles to be dead and had left the scene.

"Do you think you can find Sawyer's tracks?" he asked her.

"It might take a while. He must have left the water and that sort of thing is impossible to find a trail of but if we look along the river bank we may find something where he climbed out."

Mark nodded and they both began searching for any clue of where Sawyer had gone.

* * *

Time passed on the island and after a long, beautiful sunset, the darkness of the night had arrived. Hurley had lit a torch and held the flaming stick aloft to light the surrounding trees. He and Sawyer were looking for Hibbs and his men.

"You already know where Hibbs is hiding out, don't you Hugo?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Because not once have you stopped or gotten confused. So… where is he?"

"He's in a cave with Clementine and his armed guys."

"See that in your magic mirror too?"

Hurley laughed.

"Yes, I did."

They had been walking for hours and Sawyer was becoming tired out. He had not slept very much since Clementine was taken and this had given him large dark bags under his weary eyes.

"Shh." whispered Hurley as he slowed down and crouched by some bushes. Sawyer copied his position and squinted through the trees as Hurley put out his torch. Ahead they could see the entrance to a glittering cave which was being guarded by two of Hibbs' men, both holding AKs.

Where rain had fell earlier that day, there were some muddy puddles just outside the entrance and fire light coming from inside the cave reflected itself off of the water to create a moving pattern on the walls of the cavern.

"What should we do?" asked Sawyer.

"I think you should go in." Hurley told him in a hushed voice, "They don't know who I am and they're less likely to shoot you on the spot."

"Are you sure about that?"

"If they killed you, their hostage would have less value. Why did they take her in the first place?"

"Wanted me to help them with something. But I fucked up so they kept her. I thought the mirror told you everything already."

"Not everything. Just certain relevant things. Anyway if you already failed what they originally wanted you to do, and they kept Clementine alive, they obviously have some reason to want your help again."

Sawyer nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So I want you to do two things for me, first, tell them that if anyone dies on this island, everyone will be at risk of death by the hands of the monster, then ask them what they want from you now. Got it?"

Sawyer looked at Hurley. He had changed so much from the man who had used to faint at the sight of blood and the guy who would just follow other people's orders. He was now a noble protector of The Island and a great leader.

"I got it Hugo," said Sawyer, "I'll see you later."

With that, he emerged from the bushes with his hands on his head.

As he had expected, he took the guards by surprise and they became suddenly alert, pointing their guns at him. They didn't fire.

"Chill," said Sawyer, "I'm here to negotiate."

"Bring him in." came an echoed voice from the cave. The guards looked at each other and both made a small nod. Then, one of them got behind Sawyer and pointed the end of the rifle into his back, urging him forward, into Hibbs' lair.

They passed a few stalagmites as they entered and they soon came out into an open area. More guards were standing in a large circle and in the centre Clementine was asleep next to a camp fire.

"So, here we are again, Sawyer."

Sawyer looked up and saw that Hibbs was on the opposite side of the cave sitting on a smooth rock surface. "I still have your daughter and I want you to do me a favour." He stood up and smirked. "I guess you're here to negotiate."

"Yes." Sawyer said quietly, "I am." He wasn't sure whether Clementine being asleep was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand he didn't want her to hear Hibbs' threats and how Sawyer was being forced to help him but on the other hand he just wished that he could tell her that everything would be okay. Remembering the other reason he was there, he continued. "First I have a question to ask." He said plainly.

"Go ahead." Hibbs told him.

"Where's Kate?"

"Oh, she's long gone. I don't have her any more. I haven't seen her since the plane crash."

"Okay then," said Sawyer. "I also have a message to deliver."

"A message from who if you don't mind me asking?"

"A message from the protector of this island."

Hibbs laughed and Sawyer heard sniggering from the armed guards.

"It's an island… what does it need protecting from?"

Sawyer ignored this question.

"The message is a warning. There is something out there," he gestured to the jungle outside the cave, "… something very dangerous. At the moment, it is weak; however, if anybody dies on this Island then," he forced the next couple of words out despite how unbelievable he knew it sounded, "the monster… will become powerful once more. And everyone will be killed."

There was less sniggering this time. The guards couldn't tell if it was some kind of joke or not. After an uncomfortable silence Hibbs drew in a breath before replying.

"There's no such thing as monsters." He said simply in a rough voice.

"Trust me, if your lot kill a single person, you won't survive the chaos that is bound to follow."

Hibbs was trying to read Sawyer's look. He detected no sign of lying whatsoever. He folded his arms.

"Okay. Fine. We won't kill anyone else. And we'll give you your kid back. But first, you're going to do one more thing for me."

"And what's that?"

"You're going to get me off of this Island unharmed."

There was an intense moment before Sawyer responded.

"Done."

* * *

"What's that?"

"There's light up ahead."

"Is that a cave?"

"We should go look inside."

Members of The Control were whispering as they sneaked stealthily through the dark trees towards the now unmanned entrance to the glittering cave. Desmond looked over at Annie and although he couldn't see the expression on her face, he could tell from her silhouetted figure that she was shaking. He doubted she had ever seen a real gun in her life before the plane crash and now here she was, surrounded by vicious gang members, armed to the teeth.

"It'll be okay." He said in a hushed voice, trying to comfort her. She didn't reply.

The large group were now standing right outside of Hibbs' hideout. None of them noticed that someone was watching them from a close bush.

Hurley knew he couldn't let the gang run in their all guns blazing, especially when Sawyer was still in there. He had no choice but face them. He breathed in bravely and stepped out just as Sawyer had done, hands raised.

Immediately a couple of dozen rifles were being aimed at him.

"Don't shoot!" shouted Desmond, darting to the front of the crowd.

"its okay, Desmond, I don't plan on giving them a reason to kill me, I am here to smooth things over."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Who is this guy?" called someone in the gang.

"My name is Hugo Reyes." Said Hurley, "And I'm here to give you a warning. You must not kill anyone who is in that cave. No-one is supposed to die on this Island or very bad things will happen. And I won't be able to protect this place any more."

There were murmurs within The Control.

"But the boss said we just have to kill Hibbs." Said someone at the front. "So get out the way and it will just be him that we'll get rid of."

"No. You don't understand, I have reason to believe that all of you will die if anyone here is murdered. There is a creature on the loose that will return to power the moment there is a fresh human body for it to take."

The Control found it hard to take in what he was saying.

"Fuck it, WE WANT HIBBS" shouted one of them, firing his gun in the air.

Hurley knew at once that this had been a bad thing. Hibbs' men, still holding Sawyer came to see what was going. They even started firing.

"STOP, STOP, STOP!" shouted Hurley.

"Cease fire." Said Hibbs from behind a couple of his guards' ranks.

The air became silent once more.

"Is anyone hurt?" asked Hurley loudly after a moment. A couple of people were lightly injured but thankfully no-one had died.

"Look at us," said Hibbs, "all with our petty fights. Sawyer here has just informed me that the real enemy is out there." He gestured to the jungle. "If your boss really, really wanted me dead, what's stopping him from coming out here to face me himself? He sounds like a coward to me. I suggest that you join me and we'll get off this Island, I'll give you great pay for what you've all been doing for free so long…"

Sawyer locked eyes with Hurley for a moment. It was unbelievable but somehow it would seem that they had just prompted Hibbs to prevent a potential war between the groups of violent thugs. Sawyer grinned, all he and Hurley had to do now was get all of them off The Island and he'd finally get his daughter back. Then they could leave Ben and 'the others' to take care of destroying the Man in Black. It had been done before so he didn't see any reason for it to be more difficult a second time. For the first time in a while, things were looking up and there was a glimmer of hope that everything would turn out alright.

Suddenly, the moment was shattered by a singular shot from a pistol. It had been aimed at Hibbs but had missed and hit one of his men in the chest. As he collapsed, there was no doubt that he was dead. Everyone swung around and saw that it had come from the gang leader of The Control, Jake.

"What are you lot doing just standing there?" he asked wildly, "Attack them!"

But nobody attacked anybody, not because they didn't want to but because a very inhuman sound had just rung out into the night. Hurley and Sawyer recognised the sound straight away. It was a loud ticking and growling. It sent a shiver to the very base of Sawyer's spine. He strained his eyes in the dark, trying to see the monster. For a moment he thought that it might just have been passing nearby but then he saw it emerging from the shadows… but he had never seen it like this.

In the depths of the swirling black smoke there were frequent momentary flashes like lightning in a storm and although each one lasted less than a second, when they did, parts of an attacking polar bear would be visible. A solid claw lashed out from the smoke followed moments later by a set of sharp, gnarling teeth. It was within that minute that all Hell broke loose.

Some members from The Control and Hibbs' men were shooting each other, some were shooting their bullets into the monster, causing it no harm whatsoever and a few members of each group had scattered and were fleeing the scene of chaos.

Hurley knew that the time for negotiating was over and proceeded to get out of there as quick as he could. He grabbed Sawyer by the arm and tried to run but Sawyer held him back.

"I've got to keep Hibbs alive!" he shouted, "he promised if I did, he'd give her back!" he looked around and saw Hibbs; he had run right past them and was carrying Clementine, who he must have just retrieved from the cave. Sawyer was just on his way towards them when the monster blocked his path.

Hurley pulled him away.

"Come on, there's no time!" he told him, dragging him into the jungle. They both broke into a sprint and Sawyer soon realised someone else was running with them, it was Desmond.

The three of them didn't stop until the shouting and gunfire sounded very distant.

When they did finally come to a halt in a clearing, they all sat down, panting.

"Are you okay, Desmond?" asked Sawyer. The Scotsman nodded and spoke once he had regained his breath.

"I'm fine, but I couldn't find Anne."

"Who the hell is Anne?"

"I failed. Interrupted Hurley, who was looking very grim, "Jack said I'd make a good protector for The Island but I failed. You saw what happened back there, the Man in Black has human bodies to choose from now, and he'll take a proper form.

Sawyer shook his head.

"You haven't failed Hugo. Not yet, he can still be killed. Jack found a way and so will you."

But Hurley continued to look glum.

Suddenly there was a rustling in the surrounding bushes and the three of them became alert. It was two people. Kate and Mark.

"Sawyer!" called Kate. She ran up and hugged him tightly. It was the first time they'd seen each other since the drug heist. "We were looking for you."

Once she broke free she looked around.

"Hey Hurley, it's good to see you." she said.

He forced a smile for her. Then she saw Desmond.

"Desmond, what happened to you, where did you go? And where's Anne?"

She listened carefully while Sawyer, Hurley and Desmond went over the events of the day and looked terrified when she found out that the Man in Black was powerful once more.

"So how are we getting off The Island?" asked Mark.

"What are you talking about?" said Hurley.

"Well you just said this thing was going to kill everyone. I don't know about you but I don't want to be here when that happens."

"We're not going to run." Said Hurley. "We've got to kill it."

"Is that even possible?" Mark asked him.

"It's been done before." Sawyer answered thoughtfully. "But it's goddamn difficult."

While they discussed their next move Desmond approached Kate.

"Kate, where's Penny?"

"I'm sorry," she said, "we split up when we found that you'd been taken, she's out there looking for you somewhere."

Mark was now getting annoyed.

"Even if we found a way to get rid of him, how would we get through Hibbs' men… or The Control for that matter?"

"You're forgetting we've got an army of our own." Said Sawyer. He turned to Hurley. "'The Others'. Will they fight for us?"

"We did prepare for this sort of thing." He replied. "But I never thought it would really happen." He looked Sawyer in the eye. "They will fight for us." He told him.

Kate returned to the conversation.

"Are you talking about starting a war?"

"I guess we are." Said Sawyer.

There was a minute or so in which no-one spoke.

"I've got to go to the temple." Hurley said finally standing up.

"Shouldn't we go with you?" Sawyer asked him.

"No, it's fine. They're my people. I'll bring the best of them back here. And then we'll sort things out. We'll find your wife Desmond and then we'll kill that bastard in black then we'll get Clementine out of here safe and sound."

He left them with these words as he wandered off into the dark. Sawyer suddenly felt a lot more vulnerable now that the protector of The Island had left their presence but tried to look confident. If he panicked, the others would panic and that was the last thing he wanted.

* * *

Hours passed and Hurley did not return. Sawyer was sure that nothing had happened to him yet he could not help feeling a small bit of fear deep down.

The camp fire that Kate had set up after Hurley had left had long since burned out but it did not matter as by the bright greyish colour the sky had become, they could tell that it was now early morning.

"What are we going to do for food?" asked Sawyer.

"I'll pick some fruit." Said Kate, getting up.

"I'll help." He told her. They left Desmond and Mark and started looking up in canopy for any colourful, dangling fruits.

Sawyer went on tip toes to reach a mango and pulled it from the tree it had been a part of.

"I saw Clementine." Said Kate suddenly. "We were locked in the back of Hibbs' van and he made us get on that plane together."

"I saw her too. Back in the cave I told you about."

"What did she say to you?" Kate asked him.

"Nothing. She was asleep."

"Oh."

"Why, what did she say to you?"

"That they hadn't hurt her. And that she missed you."

Sawyer gave her a faded smile.

She reached past his shoulder to pick another mango but it was more difficult to break off from the branch than she'd been expecting and she was left hanging over Sawyer in an uncomfortable position.

"Could you, uh-" she was going to ask him to move but then noticed he was looking into her eyes. Then they were kissing gently.

The kiss left them both struggling for breath. But she looked happy when she pulled away. She and him were together now.

At that moment they heard the familiar sound of the monster.

"I thought you said it would take human form." She said.

"I don't know why it hasn't done that yet." Said Sawyer truthfully. Before they could continue talking the sound of the monster got louder. They dropped the fruit they had picked and ran back to where Mark and Desmond were waiting.

* * *

Desmond was running. He didn't know why. Darkness surrounded him but there were a few objects in the path he was taking. He passed a few tangled bushes full of red berries and a tall, twisted tree. Then he reached a pair of rusty doors. He could see that there was nothing behind them but opened them anyway and found that there was actually a strange corridor that had been concealed. It looked like it went on for miles.

"Desmond, wake up!" said a voice. He was being shaken by Mark. He did as he was told and brought himself back to the present. He stood up and saw that Mark was running, it only made sense to follow him. Just ahead of Mark were Kate and Sawyer. They hurtled through the jungle, the sound of the monster close behind them. The other three slowed down at what seemed like a dead end. But Desmond could see a small gap on the right hand side behind a thin tree. He squeezed through and the others saw what he was doing and copied. To his surprise he saw that on the other side were some familiar looking berry filled bushes- the ones from his dream. He ran past them and saw the twisted tree too. He excitedly headed for the place where the metal pair of doors were supposed to be and pushed aside some overgrown foliage that had been blocking them from view. Sure enough, the white, rusty doors were there and had a DHARMA logo printed on them. He swung them open and sprinted down the corridor at full speed; Kate, Sawyer and Mark close behind. As they kept on down the long, damp corridor the darker and murkier it became and the echoed cries of the monster was reverberating off of the walls.

They could just about see light at the end of the tunnel except there was something strange about it for there were another four people running from the other end of the tunnel towards them. Surely they were about to collide…

"Hang on," said Kate, "Is that a mirror?"

Desmond stared at it. It was most definitely a mirror. The other Desmond was getting closer and closer. They could not stop running now for they would be trapped. They could see the reflection of the monster in the mirror and knew they could not afford to slow down now. So they carried on, full speed into the glass.

The sound of the mirror shattering bounced off every wall of the corridor with a deafening crash.

* * *

**L O S T**

**No idea when the next chapter will be and I've decided to stop predicting but I promise you it will be out whether it is next week or months from now. All I can tell you is that I have already started work on it. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Leave a review if you like.**


	21. Room 108

**I was so excited that I accidentally wrote this much more quickly than I was expecting. Anyway the next few chapters are going to be a bit different so be prepared for surprises...**

* * *

[1977]

Gerald DeGroot was a wealthy man who preferred a quiet life. He kept himself to himself and followed his daily routine to the letter. His wife Karen acted this way too which is probably what had made him want to marry her when they had been so young.

They were now in their late forties and lived together in a large house on top of a hill in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Despite the quiet life, Gerald and his wife were not actually retired. They continued to trudge into the labs every day as they were supposed to be 'supervising' scientists. Really all this meant was that they sat around in an office all day and be on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. This was fortunate as things out of the ordinary were very rare indeed where they worked.

It was on a Saturday morning that Gerald received some bad news.

He had been going about his business as usual; he had just finished his breakfast and had gone to the door mat to collect the mail. There were a couple of bills, a postcard from Alvar Hanso who was on vacation and a long, thin envelope with the familiar octagon logo that represented the DHARMA Initiative.

Wondering why he was being bothered he opened the envelope and read what was inside.

His stomach lurched and he felt like his breakfast was going to come back up any moment.

The letter was not very specific but from what he could make out, there had been some kind of 'Incident' on The Island, one that had destroyed much expensive equipment and caused members of the community there to evacuate.

This news would not have been so terrible if Gerald hadn't been warned just a week or so before. A scientist called Daniel Faraday had burst into his office, making no sense at all, making absurd claims about electromagnetism and time travel. He had forewarned Mr DeGroot of the incident and he had ignored it.

The next few hours were a blur. Some people in suits turned up at their doorstep and ushered them into a car. They refused to give any information except for stating that;

"It's an emergency."

They soon found themselves at the docks where a submarine emerged. Dozens of people poured out of the vehicle's hatch and onto land. Then, once it was emptied (apart from the crew), Mr and Mrs DeGroot were led down the ladder and inside, with several of the suited men, one of which was clutching onto a plastic bag containing a prosthetic arm. Judging by the look of the man's limbs however, it was clear that the arm was for somebody else.

After a few minutes, the married couple were given sedatives for their journey across the sea, which they reluctantly took.

When Gerald awoke some time later, they had evidently arrived at their destination as they were being unstrapped from their beds and being taken out into the open air above.

The moment that they climbed out of the submarine they knew exactly where they were, though they had never seen it other than in grainy photographs.

"Welcome to The Island." Said somebody grimly while they came towards them on the wooden 'Pala Ferry' dock.

The person who had spoken was a middle aged Chinese man. Gerald was going to offer to shake hands but saw that the man's left hand was mutilated and his arm was wrapped in blood stained bandages which put him off from the idea.

"Hello. I don't think we've been introduced, I am Pierre Chang."

Gerald and Karen nodded politely. Gerald opened his mouth to respond.

"We're-"

"I know who you two are, Mr DeGroot." Pierre told him as they headed off of the dock and onto a path leading through some trees. "I sent you a letter about the events that took place here yesterday. Did you receive it?"

"Yes." Said Gerald, "But I wasn't quite-" however Dr Chang interrupted him a second time.

"All will be explained to you in more detail very soon." He said bleakly.

The man Gerald had seen with the plastic bag earlier caught up with them and handed it to Pierre who took it quickly and carried it under his un-injured arm.

There was no more speaking until Mr and Mrs DeGroot were shown into what looked like a small village.

"These are the Barracks." Said Pierre.

Gerald did not know what to say to this so stayed silent.

They were finally taken into one of the houses where they found a circle of chairs in the living room. Only four of the chairs (out of twenty or so) were empty. Dr Chang sat in one of them and motioned for the DeGroots to take their places in two of the others.

Karen looked curiously at the final unfilled seat curiously.

"Who else are we waiting for?" she asked.

But this was answered straight away by the sound of a toilet flushing and the opening of the bathroom door a few metres away. A tall man with shoulder-length dark blonde hair had arrived at the circle and was looking around at the other people.

"So are we all here then?" he asked apprehensively.

Pierre Chang stood up and patted the man on the back with his good arm.

"This," he said to the DeGroots, "Is Jim Lafleur. But you can also call him by his real name, James Ford."

Lafleur shook hands with Gerald and Karen before sitting in the last remaining seat.

"Now," said Dr Chang seriously, "To business."

[March 2011]

Desmond did not really know what he had expected to happen after running straight into the mirror but since the glass had broken he had found himself continuing on through the tunnel, though he had to shake some sparkling shards from his hair as he went.

He checked to his left and right and saw that Sawyer, Kate and Mark were still beside him. The monster was now far too close behind them than they were comfortable with and they tried to speed up.

However the tunnel walls had become rougher and rockier. On top of this, the passage was also becoming far narrower and the four of them had to squeeze through the thin gaps to the other side.

For the smoke monster this was less of a problem. The black mass was able to rearrange itself to fit smoothly through these smaller holes.

The roars of the polar bear within sounded throughout the tunnel as it began going downhill.

Ahead there was some gleaming light and a little closer were some strange metal posts protruding from the ground. Kate recognised what these pylons were immediately and the moment all four people had crossed the line of them she slammed her hand down on a button which was attached to the defence system. She stopped, gasping for breath and watched the monster crash into what any bystander would have guessed to be an invisible wall. She had seen this happen before and was prepared for the loud low sounded screech that the pylons made. She covered up her ears and Desmond, Sawyer and Mark (who had watched her turn on the fence) did the same.

The monster lingered for another minute or two.

"Shit," breathed Mark in relief. It was the first time he had seen the monster and despite Sawyer's previous descriptions of it, had a surprised look of disgust on his face.

Polar bear claws reached out from the smoke but could not pass the sonar fence.

The monster seemed to finally realise it was pointless to keep trying to catch the survivors while they were behind the pylons and disappeared back up the tunnel, out of sight.

The screeching noise finished but faint hum was still heard coming from the fence.

"What is this place?" asked Desmond.

Kate and Mark turned around. In the panic of what was going on they had failed to notice that they had reached the very end of the passage and were now in a huge open space underground.

Sawyer was noticing this too. He walked over to a nearby rock and found a lever. Without hesitation he put pressure on it and the darkness was lifted.

Kate let out a small sound of shock.

The four of them were standing at the edge of what could only be some sort of headquarters. The room was gigantic and had been worked cleverly into the rock of the cavern. Metal grates rose in layered levels and there were many desks. Some of which had old computers from the sixties and seventies. All were covered with papers and documents in a way that reminded Desmond very much of Room 42 in New York. It was only when he looked up that he realised why this was.

There was a sign hanging from the ceiling of the cave which read, in giant letters;

_Room 108_

And next to this was unmistakeably the DHARMA logo.

"I thought you said you worked in the DHARMA initiative," said Mark, "Didn't you know about this?"

"They must have built this after the incident," said Sawyer who was feeling rather dumbfounded.

There was another sound that could be heard, a light trickle of water. Desmond got down on one knee and removed one of the heavy grates from the ground. As he had suspected there was a small stream below the floor they were standing on. The water he was looking at had a strange sparkle in it which made him sure that it had been redirected here from the heart of The Island itself.

He got back up and continued to take in the sheer magnitude of the place. There were also doors in the corners of the room which he guessed must lead off into other tunnels and corridors. There was a thick layer of dust on everything and sitting in some of the moth eaten swivel chairs by the tables were human skeletons.

"I wonder who these people were…" said Mark quietly.

"Did you know about this?" Sawyer asked Desmond suddenly. Desmond shook his head. "Are you sure? You were in front when we were running. You're saying you just knew the way here by coincidence?"

"Actually, I saw it in a dream, brotha." He replied, knowing how strange it sounded.

"A dream?"

"Aye,"

"When did you have this dream?" asked Sawyer sceptically.

"Just before the monster got to our clearing." He said truthfully.

Mark approached one of the desks. To his surprise there was an envelope that had his own name written on it.

"Guys, look at this," he said. The others came to see what he was holding.

"What's inside?" asked Sawyer.

Just as Mark was opening it they heard shouts from the way they had come in. He hastily shoved the envelope in his pocket instead.

"Who do you think that is?" he asked.

"I don't know but they don't sound friendly," growled Sawyer in reply.

"Will the fence hold them off?" said Desmond.

"Yes," Kate told him, "But I don't think it will stop their bullets getting through." She looked around and saw a pistol lying on the desk behind them. She picked it up and held it towards the exit to the passage where the people coming were about to appear.

"You guys should run," she said calmly.

"No," said Mark bravely, "I'll take them on."

"What?" she said incredulously. "You'd be outnumbered."

"So would you." he said, taking the gun from her. "Now get out of here."

She nodded and kissed him on the cheek before she, Desmond and Sawyer ran for it. They found the entrance to a chamber on the opposite side of the room and got inside, ducking under the window so no-one could see them from the outside.

Suddenly a female voice sounded in the chamber, drowning out gunshots from outside.

"Automatic lockdown activated." Said the voice which was coming from speakers in the room.

"Okay, maybe this was a mistake," said Sawyer. He stood up and tried to reopen the door. Unfortunately it was locked. "Fuck," he muttered, "We're trapped."

He tried to look through the massive window to see how Mark was getting on but the view from the chamber was now ruined by the blast door coming down just outside, shrouding them in pitch blackness. Then Sawyer heard a sound he never thought he would have to endure again. It started off as a high pitched tingle. Particles in the air came alight all of a sudden. The sound got louder and changed into a muffled rush. The white light was now consuming Sawyer, Kate and Desmond completely. Then everything around them vanished.

[1977]

The left side of Sawyer's face felt very cold against the floor of the house he was lying in. His eyes were rolling and his brain was aching. He knew for a fact that he had just travelled through time. He had also guessed, correctly, that this time he had in fact travelled in space too. For he was not in Room 108. He was not underground at all. He was in the house that he and Juliet had lived in for three years when they were members of the DHARMA initiative.

He should have been more surprised perhaps but he was so used to weird things happening on this Island that he couldn't even be bothered to be shocked by what had just happened.

Strangely, Kate and Desmond were not, like him, lying on the floor. Nor indeed did they appear to be anywhere in the vicinity of where he was.

Eventually Sawyer gathered the energy to get up. The house was exactly as he remembered it. He was in the living room and he looked out the window. He became aware of the sweet birdsong that he was hearing.

The mystery of where Kate and Desmond were seemed less important than the peacefulness of the morning.

He was annoyed therefore to hear a muffled shout ruin the calm he was feeling. Then his stomach gave a horrible lurch. He had recognised the sound of that shout. It was coming from the cupboard in the hallway. It was coming from Phil.

Sawyer now knew exactly when he was. It was the day of the incident. And Juliet… was still alive.

He now heard a voice from the bedroom. It was his own. Then he heard Juliet's soft response. He vividly remembered the conversation they were having. He longed to run into that room and tell Juliet not to go to the work site. He walked closer to the bedroom doorway.

"…And you're sure they won't believe the truth?" Juliet was asking desperately.

"It's too late for the truth," he heard himself reply. "But I promise you, we are going to get out of this."

There was a pause and Sawyer heard himself kissing Juliet. Jealousy flared inside of him. He didn't want the Sawyer from three years ago to kiss her, he wanted to kiss Juliet NOW.

He was right outside the bedroom now and he dared to peak around the corner. The sight of her gave him mixed feelings. Love was filling his heart but guilt was suppressing it as he thought of Kate and how he had kissed her just about an hour earlier (or thirty-four years from then depending on the way you look at it).

"I'm going to the bathroom," said Juliet, breaking away from the kiss. She moved towards the doorway. With a fright, Sawyer backed away. There was no way he could leave the hall in time. Then he saw the door to his left, it was his only hope of not being seen. He rushed in and remembered that this was in fact, the bathroom.

With no time to swear at himself for making this stupid move, he half-jumped into the shower, drawing the curtain to hide himself as quickly as he could.

Sawyer could now hear Juliet entering and closing the door behind her. His heart was pulsing madly. Should he jump out at her and warn her? Surely not, they couldn't change the past, Jughead had proved that… Or had it?

Faraday had (according to Jack) said himself that they could change the past. After all, Sawyer had free will, what was stopping him from ripping apart the curtain and embracing Juliet?

It was all too much. His entire life had drastically changed within the space of a couple of minutes. One moment he had been with Kate in the present and now he was here with his previous lover. He felt like he was now interrogating himself in his own head about whether he loved Juliet more than he loved Kate. For a frightening moment it dawned on him that it was perfectly possible for him to interrogate himself. For wasn't there another Sawyer sitting on the bed in the room next door?

He shoved these dark thoughts to the back of his mind and felt himself jump when he heard the door slam suddenly. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had forgotten he hadn't been alone in the room.

Sawyer carefully pulled the curtain back and stepped out from the shower. Juliet had gone. He cast his mind back and decided that he was quite sure that had been the last time Juliet or himself had used the bathroom so he made up his mind to stay there hiding until they were removed from the house by Radzinsky and his men.

Sawyer scowled at the memory and sat down on the shut toilet lid. He rested his chin on his fist and his elbow on his knee, once again deep in thought.

He sat there for half an hour thinking. He finally noticed that there was blood on the inside of his nostril which he cleaned out with a piece of loo roll. He scrunched up the now reddened piece of loo roll and tossed it at the small, plastic bin opposite. It almost went in but just hit the edge and bounced away. He reluctantly leaned forward to pick it up off the floor and place it in the bin. Just as he did this he spotted something.

Sawyer reached out a hand into the bin and pulled out a white stick. He stared at it blankly. There was no doubt about it… The pregnancy test he was holding was positive.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, the next chapter is being written. Leave a review if you feel like it :)**


	22. CoINCIDENTally

**Long time, no see. I know, okay. But do I really have to explain my absence? I'll sum it up in one word: Life. Real life is my highest priority at the moment. And I have a lot going on. I will not finish this story until it is complete. I will stick to that no matter what. Anyway h****opefully it will make you happy to see a new chapter. The plot of this one is more important in the context of the show than my fanfic, which is a nice break from the main storyline. Enjoy :) **

* * *

Sawyer gaped at the test. He suddenly remembered being in the wreckage of the imploded Swan Hatch, cradling a dying Juliet in his arms.

"I have to tell you something," she had whispered, "it's really, really important…"

So this was what she had tried to communicate to him moments before her death, that she would not be the only victim of the Jughead scheme.

He had a lump in his throat and his eyes were glistening although no actual tears were spilled.

Why had Juliet not told him? He now felt angry, confused and more upset than ever. He guessed that she had not told him she was pregnant for the same reason he had been holding off his proposal… It just didn't seem like the right time. He was waiting until the chaos was over but by the time it was, she had been long gone.

There was a knock at the front door of the house. It was Jack and he was telling LaFleur that Daniel Faraday was back on The Island.

The sound of Jack's voice made Sawyer nervous and guilty about how he had gotten together with Kate after Jack gave his life to save The Island.

At that moment Sawyer realised that Faraday was going to die soon too. His brain continued to whir away as he calculated hundreds of possibilities of what he could do now if he interfered.

Would Faraday want him to do that, if it was to prevent his death?

Mainly due to indecision, Sawyer remained in the bathroom, as after all, it was easier at this point to do nothing until he made a sensible choice about his next move. Jack soon left and Sawyer could once again hear his past self comforting Juliet about their situation.

Hours passed and Sawyers thoughts returned to his unborn child. He stayed quietly in the bathroom even while everyone turned up and had a discussion in the living room about what to do next. He could hear the voices of himself, Juliet, Kate, Jack, Hurley, Jin, Faraday and Miles.

Kate left with Jack and Faraday and soon the house was empty again other than Juliet, Phil tied up in the closet and the two Sawyers.

Finally the moment came when Radzinsky and co arrived and discovered Phil. After a small struggle, LaFleur and Juliet were taken from the house and Phil was released.

Sawyer was finally alone in the house and could come out from his hiding place. He checked his watch, there were four hours before the incident took place.

He was now formulating a plan in his mind. He needed to speak to Juliet, maybe he would get some closure at last. But he had to get her on her own. He just had a bad feeling about crossing a past version of himself on this occasion.

Then, after he spoke to Juliet, he would worry about finding Kate and Desmond, a task that he was not too bothered about just now.

With this he left the house, trying to remain unnoticed. After all, he was being interrogated right now and it may seem strange that he was in two places at once.

Sawyer retraced the steps he took that day in his head and worked out where he and Juliet would be and when his next chance to speak to her would be.

[2011]

Mark heard the loud rush of noise from the chamber behind him but he was too concentrating on his shooting to turn around and see what was going on.

Moments earlier, Sawyer, Kate and Desmond had hurried off, leaving him and one clip of bullets against what turned out to be The Control, who were looking for Hibbs.

There were six of them and he guessed that the gang must have split up and sent smaller search parties out across The Island. They turned up at the fence and a couple of them tried to run through the sonar fence. They barely got a meter past it before hitting the floor, foaming violently at the mouth. This was enough to tell the remaining four to stay back, although they quickly realised that they could still fire their bullets past the fence and directly at Mark himself.

He ducked behind one of the desks and only poked his head back out once the firing ceased. He took aim but his first shot missed and bounced off one of the rocky walls of the cavern.

The next bullet was a success. It pierced the skull of a gang member, leaving a bloody hole in his head.

There were three left and they all had M4's. Mark took cover again as they tore up anything within a couple of foot radius from the desk he was hiding behind.

He fired at them again and managed after a couple of tries to hit one in the chest, killing him, but then noticed he was out of ammo and there were still two men trying to get him. He couldn't risk running out from behind the table, he wouldn't last a second.

Suddenly there were some strange sounds, like punching noises. This lasted a few seconds before there was silence. Mark decided to look and see what had happened.

He saw that the two last guys had been taken care of and that, standing over their bodies were two people. One of them was Miles and the other was a woman he knew to be Desmond's wife, Penny. He came out from cover, laughing.

"Miles, you saved my ass!" he shouted. Miles laughed as well and headed towards Mark.

"WAIT!" he called. He then strode over to the fence and hit the large button on one of the pylons.

"Oh, thanks," said Miles in relief, "that was close," he stepped into Room 108, examining the desks with interest. Penny entered behind him.

"I don't think we've met," she said while extending a hand kindly, "Penelope Widmore."

Mark shook it.

"Yes, of course, you're Desmond's wife, I'm Mark."

"Speaking of Desmond, have you seen him lately?"

"Yes, he's just back here." The three of them went over to the chamber where Sawyer, Kate and Desmond had hid but found that the door was locked. Mark tried a few more times. Then a female voice sounded from speakers.

"Lockdown terminated." A blast door that had been covering the window rose back into the roof of the cave.

They looked through the window in confusion. The chamber was completely empty. They stared through the glass, then at each other.

Mark was lost for words.

"I- I don't know what happened, I saw them go in there…" he put his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor, this was a habit that occurred when he was thinking about something.

His right hand touched some scrunched up paper which was a surprise because he had thought his pockets were empty. He drew out an envelope with his name on it and upon seeing it remembered how he had picked it up from a nearby table a couple of minutes earlier. He opened it curiously. Penny and Miles watched him as his eyes whizzed back and forth across the page that had been inside. Then Mark sighed in disbelief and sat down on a chair behind him. He looked up but his eyes were distant.

"Shit." He uttered.

[1977]

Kate brought herself to her feet. One minute she had been standing in Room 108 with Sawyer and Desmond, the next, she was suddenly in the jungle.

She spent a few hours searching and calling out their names but got no response at all. She sat down on a log and breathed deeply. For some reason she felt dizzy. Then, once her thoughts were working again she realised what had happened though she hoped that she was wrong.

The loud noise and bright light she had experienced earlier had felt familiar. Now she remembered why; it had happened to her twice before in her life. The first time was on Ajira 316 just as she returned to The Island and the other was at the site of the incident in 1977. Both of those light flashes had been due to time travel.

Could she have just been sent to some other time by a DHARMA station?

Without warning, a man stumbled through the bushes. Kate was startled and jumped up. It was Sawyer.

"Sawyer! Where were you? Where's Desmond? What happened? That bright light-"

"Kate, we're back."

"Back? I don't-"

"We're back in 1977."

She sat back down he came over to her.

"Jack, Juliet… are they…"

Sawyer nodded.

"Yes, they're alive. But you, Jack and Faraday just went traipsing off to the hostiles. The incident is gonna happen today!"

Kate looked like she was going to cry.

"What's the matter?" Sawyer asked her tentatively, "I thought this was a good thing. Don't you want to speak to Jack again?" This however, was not the right thing to say.

"What?" she said loudly. "You think I should talk to him?"

Sawyer didn't know what to do, he felt like he had just lit a fuse and that tapping the bomb would not help, so he stayed silent while she got angry.

"JACK IS DEAD." She told him furiously.

Perhaps he could send in some kind of explosive disposal unit…

"I just thought-"

"You think that if you make this about me and Jack, that you can go and get back together with Juliet?"

He opened his mouth. Which wire should he cut? Instead, he closed it straight away. He had been about to say:

"It's not like that," but in truth, it was exactly like that.

"James," he noted her using his name like this, "I… I am with you now." She was on the verge of tears now, "But if you really, really want to be with her… I'm not going to stop you. Just-" she looked for the right words so she didn't sound like she was being the bad guy, "Just remember that if you want to save her, there might be consequences."

"Whatever 'consequences' there are between you and me, we can work them out," said Sawyer.

"No, I mean bigger than you and me. This could change everything."

He knew that she was right but he couldn't stand the thought of being back on this day and not speaking to his dead lover. Surely fate had brought him back to this precise moment for some kind of reason. It was destiny.

With little left to say Sawyer headed off into the jungle and Kate, with no-where else to go, followed silently behind him.

They walked for a couple of hours and she couldn't help wondering exactly where he was actually going. When she asked him he decided to answer truthfully.

"Rose and Bernard. That's where we ended up remember? After we escaped from the submarine. Anyway I know it's in this part of The Island."

Finally they came out of the bushes and greeted Rose and Bernard while Vincent barked at their heels, tail wagging. Kate watched disapprovingly as Sawyer explained that one more of himself and Kate were on their way and that Rose and Bernard had to act like they hadn't been expecting them.

"And then what?" asked Bernard.

"Well…" said Sawyer, "they're going to tell you that Jack wants to nuke The Island and that they're on their way to stop him. The other Kate and I will be hiding until they start leaving, but try to stall Juliet so that I can come out and talk to her."

Bernard nodded but looked confused. Sawyer knew that the time travel was perplexing at times but hoped that he would roll with it.

Sawyer went off to find a good tree behind which to urinate and when he came back found to his dismay that he had missed his chance.

"Damn it!" he shouted. "I told you to stall her!"

"I tried," Bernard told him defensively, "But I couldn't exactly force her."

Sawyer rounded on Kate.

"You." he said, "You should have stopped her."

Kate shrugged.

"I think it would have just frightened her." She told him. He kicked a log in frustration. After he calmed down he thanked Rose and Bernard for their efforts and moved on. He had a new plan…

* * *

Juliet sighed and walked away from Kate and the others sitting by the sky blue DHARMA van. She wanted to be alone. However she only managed to achieve being on her own for a minute or so as Sawyer came up behind her.

"Hey," she said, surprised he had finished talking to Jack so quickly, "How did it go? Did you talk him out of it?"

Sawyer remained silent and stared at her with emotion.

"Hang on… where's your jumpsuit?"

"Juliet…" he put a hand gently on the side of her face and leaned in to kiss her. He knew that Kate was watching from her hiding place but hoped she would understand.

The kiss was worth a happy lifetime that among many other things had been lost. Juliet seemed to notice this and frowned. When he finally finished the kiss he looked more serious.

"Juliet, I'm uh… I'm still talking to Jack in that clearing right now."

"What do you-?"

"The me that you're seeing now is me from the future."

"The future?"

"Juliet, you mustn't help Jack with his plan." As she was still reeling from the previous statement he had made she was finding it all hard to take in.

"Why would I want to help him?" she asked simply.

"I don't know, you changed your mind for some reason."

"James, don't worry I haven't changed my mind about any of it."

"I thought you said that even though two people loved each other it didn't mean they were meant to be together."

Juliet was shocked and wondered how on Earth he had managed to recite the exact words her parents had used to explain their divorce. All of it was coming back to her now.

"Well I was under the impression we were meant to be together, but obviously you don't so maybe-"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he interrupted, "Why didn't you tell me about the pregnancy?"

"How did you-?"

"I found the test in the trash." He explained.

"I've been wanting to but-"

"-But it never seemed like the right time." He finished for her.

"Yeah," she replied. He had known the feeling because it was exactly how he had felt about proposing. He had been about to do it but then Jack came back and then he attacked Phil and then Faraday came back and he could not find the appropriate moment.

"I don't really understand…" said Juliet, "Are you saying you don't want to be together any more?" his eyes widened in fear.

"No!" he exclaimed, "I want to be with you."

"Really, because you've been acting strangely around Kate." Sawyer was stunned.

"No, but-"

"Can you look me in the eye and tell me you don't have any feelings for her?" she asked fiercely. Sawyer knew that she now had him cornered. If he said no Kate would probably barely talk to him ever again but if he said yes Juliet would be mad at him and he didn't want to leave her like that before she went off to her own death.

"This isn't about Kate. Juliet, I'm here to warn you. If you go with Jack, you'll die. And so will the baby."

She shook her head disbelievingly.

"I didn't want to go with Jack-" she said.

"Good." Replied Sawyer.

"-But I do now." She concluded softly. Sawyer was speechless. Juliet walked away from him and he knew now that it was too late to save her. He was stupid to consider it in the first place. He was definitely with Kate and he had to let Juliet go. She had made her choice. After all he had changed so much since leaving The Island and coming back that it didn't even feel like it was him who had loved Juliet but perhaps some distant friend of his whom he had lost touch with. He left feeling oddly satisfied though he wasn't a hundred percent sure. Though something in his heart was whispering one word to him;

"_Closure."_

He returned to Kate and registered the red cheeks and the wet patches across her freckles. She sniffled when she saw him and wiped her arm on her shirt.

"Thank-you." she said.

"What for?"

"For not saying no."

He knew now that she had noticed the avoidance he had made of Juliet's question about Kate and smiled.

"She's gone." He said, gesturing to where Juliet had stood. "You are all that matters to me now." They hugged tightly. "Now let's get out of here."

* * *

Desmond awoke. He was lying in some green bushes and he felt like he had just travelled in time.

A man came into the clearing, carrying an unconscious blonde woman on his back. He spotted Desmond and put her down.

"You don't look like DHARMA." Said Richard Alpert curiously.

"That's cos I'm not, brotha. Or at least… not anymore."

Richard nodded and the woman stirred.

"Try not to move." He said to her. She groaned in response to this.

"What happened?" she asked in a strong British accent.

"I had to knock you out," Richard told her, "I couldn't let you go with those people, they were going to detonate a bomb and you're pregnant."

She sat up and pulled out some water from a rucksack by her legs. It hung open and Desmond glanced inside. To his surprise he saw something in there that he recognised. Before he could stop himself he reached in and pulled it out. It was a brown journal and inside were thousands of mathematical science equations and diagrams.

"This belonged to Daniel Faraday." He said.

"I know," replied the woman, "I'm his mother." At this, Desmond was mildly surprised. He had already guessed he was in the past but this was a huge coincidence.

"You're Eloise Hawking?" he asked.

"Yes." She confirmed proudly.

"But, I know you…" he said slowly. Suddenly the ground shook and a loud rumbling could be heard somewhere near.

Richard jumped up and ran through the trees. Desmond got to his feet and followed. He came out to a high up ridge, a perfect vantage point from which he and Richard could watch the white mushroom cloud rise from the incident site.

"They really did it," Richard stammered. The two men were suddenly forced backwards by the shock wave as the air was filled with ash and a chemical stench.

* * *

**So, my aim with this chapter was to really make it fit in with the events in the season 5 finale, which I always thought had something going on just out of sight. The evidence for Juliet being pregnant in the episode is really only the way she acts and how she said she wanted to tell Sawyer something important. Then we have the reason for Bernard awkwardly asking for her to stay which was a small detail. The biggest thing explained here is Juliet's sudden change of heart. We're not done in 77, I see this and the next chapter as one but had to split them firstly to give you guys something to read right now and also because putting them together would not make them flow very well. **

**Thanks for reading! Review if you like :)**


	23. 7 Days in 77

**Happy Holidays! Enjoy the new chapter. I have so much less time to write, but I'm not giving up ;)**

* * *

DAY 1

The sound came from behind them. Sawyer and Kate turned with a fright and saw through the jungle trees being up rooted by a fierce explosion. Their hair flew in the shock wave as if caught in a storm. Sawyer pulled Kate close to his body and they both closed their eyes tightly until the ordeal was over.

Soon all was silent once more until Kate spoke.

"That was it. That was the bomb…" she whispered, still shaking. Sawyer nodded solemnly. Then, the click of a gun being cocked.

"Well, well, well, I thought you two were goners." Said Radzinsky, who had just appeared from the bushes. His face was covered in blood and his clothes torn, he had a deranged look in his eye.

"I guess we got lucky," said Sawyer.

"And so did I. This means I can finish you myself, Lafleur."

"No!" screamed Kate, throwing herself into the firing line of the pistol.

"Get back you pathetic woman, I only have one bullet and I'm not wasting it on you."

"Stand down!" said a new voice. It was Pierre Chang, looking very pale and clutching his left arm with a blood stained rag. He was breathing heavily.

"These people are terrorists, Pierre! I don't care what you have to say any more. I'm in charge now."

Pierre walked over to Radzinsky and snatched the gun from his hand. He then threw it into a bush.

"Where are the rest of your lot?" asked Chang.

"They're gone." Said Sawyer.

"You mean they're dead?"

"Not all of them, they're just gone."

"I believe you knew my son, Miles. Is he still alive?"

"Yes. He's fine." Sawyer told him truthfully.

"I trust that you two are also from the future?"

"Yeah. We are."

"You actually believe that bullshit?" spat Radzinsky. "They are lying!"

"Enough, Stuart. Go to the barracks and tell people not to panic. Then contact the submarine. Tell them they're going to have to bring the DeGroots to The Island. And get someone to send them a letter first. And send for something to help my arm."

"Fine but don't trust these two. The blond one is an arrogant asshole."

"Don't worry Stu, the feeling's mutual." Sawyer snarled.

The man left in the direction of the barracks.

"Well I hate to agree with that man but I have to admit that I cannot give you my full trust at this moment. Your friend Shephard did just destroy a large part of The Island."

"We will help fix as much of the damage as possible." Sawyer said quickly.

"We appreciate it."

"But for now we have a lot to discuss Dr. Chang, I suggest we go somewhere more private, after all we are currently in hostile territory."

"Of course, of course. Let's go."

* * *

"Are you two okay?" asked Eloise Hawking, helping Desmond to his feet and looking at Richard anxiously.

"Yes, we're fine." Said Richard, wiping his clothes while coughing. "We need to get back to camp. Make sure no-one was out hunting when that bomb went off."

"And what about… uh, what was your name?" asked Eloise.

"Desmond."

"Sorry Desmond but you're not one of us. I suggest you go back to rejoin your scientist friends."

"But he knew my son!" she protested. Richard sighed.

"Fine, he can come with us." He said. The three of them started the short journey to the camp of the others.

* * *

Kate, Sawyer and Pierre were standing in the living room of the Chang house. It was strange seeing all the baby pictures of Miles, thought Sawyer.

"Do you have any coffee?" asked Kate.

"Yes, I will go and make some," said Chang.

"No, your arms still injured, I'll make it."

"Okay, well the kitchen is just through here…" they both left the room and Sawyer looked around. He noticed that for some reason, the crib was in the living room. He found himself approaching it and running his hand across the cold, smooth wood, thinking about his second child, the one that was never born. He had failed to save one of his kids but he wasn't going to let that happen again, he had to get back to 2011.

"There was only one bedroom." Said Pierre, having returned from the kitchen. "So we had to put him in here. You'd think that I would get to choose my own house wouldn't you?"

Sawyer didn't reply.

Kate came in with the coffees and they all sat down on the sofas.

"What you've got to understand," said Sawyer, "Is that we don't want to be here. In 1977, I mean. It was all a big accident. And soon we're going to need to get back to our own time. So before we tell you anything, before we give you any answers… I need your word you'll get us back to when we need to be."

"I understand." Said Pierre, "You have my word."

"Thank you. So, basically it begins with Oceanic Flight 815…" he launched back into the long explanation, which was still rather fresh in his mind from giving it to Mark so recently. He explained up to how he ended up in the past, why Jack wanted to destroy The Island and warned of the purge. He left out everything about Clementine and how it was in fact their second time in 1977 as he thought his story was more than complicated enough already. When he'd finished Pierre just sat looking thoughtful.

"Thank you for telling me this." He said finally.

"Yeah, now you can evacuate everyone before they get gassed." Sawyer told him happily.

"No. We cannot change the past." Replied Chang. Sawyer was taken aback.

"I thought you'd want to save them,"

"Whether I want to save them or not is irrelevant."

"But, Dr Chang," said Kate, "The DHARMA Initiative gets wiped out… that includes you."

"I am willing to give my life for the research we carry out on this island. But I will take into account what you have said about this purge; we will only bring back the workers. None of the friends or family will return from Ann Arbor."

"Anyway, we got here from Room 108," Sawyer told him, "Has it been built yet?"

"I'm sorry but I've never heard of such a thing," said Pierre.

"Well we should get going and build it, because the machine in there could probably take us back to our time."

"Very well, very well. I suggest we discuss this properly at the meeting tomorrow. The DeGroots are going to be here and you can take it up with them."

"Where are we going to sleep?" asked Sawyer.

"In your house, I would have thought."

"No. I'm sorry but I can't stay there now."

Pierre looked confused but didn't question him. Kate couldn't help speculating in her mind that the reasoning behind Sawyer's decision was that he did not want her to sleep in Juliet's bed.

"Okay then Mr. LaFleur, you can sleep in my house while you're here. I doubt I'll be allowed to sleep for a while after all that happened today. Cleaning up everything is going to take a while."

"Thanks. We'll come and help out with fixing stuff tomorrow." Sawyer reassured him.

"That's very kind of you."

"By the way, LaFleur isn't my real name."

"Then what is it?"

"James Ford."

"Goodnight then James." Said Pierre. Then he left the house and disappeared into the night. All seemed so quiet all of a sudden. Sawyer looked at Kate and crossed the room to hug her. She moved to kiss him gently but he stopped her.

"Not tonight Kate. I'm sorry."

"Oh. That's okay." She said.

"Kate-"

"It's fine James."

They went to bed in silence.

* * *

The camp of The Others was lit by a small camp fire. Around it, were gathered the large group of jungle residents, all chattering nervously about the explosion they had heard and some of them had even seen.

"It was huge," chirped an excited young boy, "And it was all smoky and white!"

"Those DHARMA bastards have really crossed the line now," argued a middle-aged woman.

"Richard!" shouted a man in the crowd, pointing to where Richard Alpert had just appeared, Eloise Hawking and Desmond Hume by his side.

There was a sudden uproar, a frenzy of questions and complaints. Richard held up a hand to silence the people.

"Please, let's not sink to the level of those savages. We need to deal with this situation sensibly."

"I heard you helped them Richard!" somebody called out. There was an awkward pause.

"I did not go against Jacob's orders." He stated finally. "I do however regret my decision to aid the terrorists. Fortunately, to my knowledge, none of our people have been harmed by the incident, and for that I am grateful."

There was some murmuring in the audience.

"I would be happy to answer any more questions you all have." Some hands went up. Desmond suddenly felt something on his arm and turned around. Eloise was pulling him towards a tent.

"We don't need to be here for this." She said simply as she lead him in. The first thing he noticed was a bed in the corner on which lay a bandaged boy, twelve years of age and fast asleep.

"Who's that?" Desmond asked Eloise.

"That's Ben Linus." She said. Desmond looked slightly surprised at this.

"Do you know him?" she said.

"Sort of." He replied.

"But you also knew my son."

"Yeah, that's right."

"How? Were you friends?"

"We were, yeah," he nodded. Eloise pulled out the tattered journal.

"And you've seen this? How much do you know about it?"

"I saw it a long time ago. In the year 2004."

"That's 27 years from now." She told him.

"Right. Anyway I know that he had all of his physicist stuff in there."

"And you know he's dead."

"I have been told that, yes."

"Then perhaps you would help me to bury him?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The body is in a clearing not far from here."

"He's here?"

"Yes, it's only been a day since it happened and we haven't had the chance to move him."

"He's been dead for a day? How did he die?"

"I shot him." She grimaced. Desmond was stunned by this revelation. "I'll explain on the way," she said. They left the tent and set off to the nearby clearing where Daniel's body was.

When the pair got there Eloise handed Des a shovel and they dug a grave together. It was reminiscent of what they did for Jack.

"You know," rasped Desmond after a while, "I'm only on this Island because of you."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand…"

He described the circumstances that lead him to meet her that fateful day in 1996, about the hatch implosion, the jewellery shop and the man with red shoes.

Eloise was fascinated by the information and noted it down in the almost full journal in a page near the back.

There was a sudden movement by the tree line.

"Get down!" shouted Desmond. A bullet flew through the previously calm glade as the two ducked just in time.

"What the fuck?" exclaimed Eloise.

"Don't shoot!" Another shot missed them.

"I'm pregnant!" The firing stopped. Emerging from the trees was a man neither Desmond or Eloise recognised. He had been drinking. He pointed the rifle at them.

"Give me my son back you bastards," he said.

"Oh, I guess you must be Ben's father." Spoke Eloise.

"Give him back!" shouted Roger Linus.

Suddenly he collapsed. Richard was behind him and had knocked him out with a blow to the head.

"Thanks," gasped Eloise. Then she turned to Desmond. "If you hadn't been here I would've-"

"It was nothing," said Desmond modestly.

"So…" said Richard with a nod to the unconscious Roger, "What are we going to do with him?"

DAY 2

Kate woke up at 4am. She tried to get back to sleep but failed miserably. She decided to put this down to some kind of strange time-travel jet lag and got up for a shower. Afterwards she found some cereal and sat in the kitchen for longer than she had planned. It was frustrating. They had been ready to face the enemy head to head in a full on war and hopefully get Clementine back but instead she was sent back in time. Everything happens for a reason? She doubted it. What possible reason could fate have that prevented her from helping out? She wondered about Mark… Had he survived the attack in Room 108? How long would it be until she found out? It all came down to how long she would be stuck in the past.

* * *

"Six more days," Pierre Chang said to Kate and Sawyer a few hours later as they strolled through the jungle. "That's how long it will be until we can have the machine in the Orchid fully prepared, I just came from there and it turns out that the electromagnetic activity is not as high as it was before the surge at the construction site yesterday.

"And you're sure it'll send us back to our own time?" Sawyer asked.

"Yes, of course."

"What do we do until then?" said Kate.

"You mentioned something room we have to build?" said Pierre.

"Yes."

"Then I guess you can help us plan it out. When the DeGroots get here we will have a meeting. Will you be there?"

"Absolutely."

Chang left as he had some errands to run while Kate and Sawyer went on a walk through the jungle.

"So we're having seven days in seventy-seven huh?" she said.

"Well, only six left." Sawyer told her.

"I know you must really want to find Clem but you have to admit, it is nice to have some time out from it all."

Sawyer simply nodded. They continued to stroll casually downhill through the quiet trees.

"Why haven't you gone to get it?" Kate asked suddenly.

"What?"

"The ring."

He knew she was referring to the engagement ring under the floorboards in the bedroom of his old house.

"I made progress yesterday. Getting that ring would mess me up again. And I don't want to be like that."

Kate smiled and they held hands.

* * *

Roger groaned slowly as his eyelids gradually lifted and the blurry scene in front of him came into focus. He had a bad hangover. A blonde woman was knelt facing him. To his dismay she hit him around the face.

"Calm down." Said a man's voice, with an unmistakably Scottish accent.

"What's going on?" asked Roger. He tried to move his hands but they were tied to the tree he was leaning against. Eloise stood up, Richard and Desmond came into view. They were all in a small glade in the jungle.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Didn't you bloody hear him? I think he'd like his son back." Said Desmond, frustrated.

"Ben? You have him. Where's my Ben?" Roger struggled but he was bound too tightly to the tree.

"It was dangerous coming out here on your own." Richard told him, in a surprisingly calm tone of voice.

"Safer out here than it was back there." He grunted in reply.

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday, I saw the man that did it. The guy who shot Ben. I wasn't thinking, I was… not entirely sober. So I fired at him and then… then there was mayhem. I had to get out of there. I decided that if I wanted to get Ben back I'd have to come get him myself."

"But how did you find us?" sighed Eloise.

"Tracks."

"We don't leave tracks." Richard told him simply.

"Someone did."

There was a brief, uneasy silence.

"How do you even know how to track?" asked Richard, "I thought you were a…" he glanced at the title on the DHARMA jumpsuit, "'Workman'".

"I was in scouts." Said Roger. "Never thought I'd use any of that shit but hey, it's funny how things turn out."

"Well… I guess there's nothing left to do but shoot him." Richard said abruptly.

"What?" exclaimed Desmond.

"He's seen where we are! He'll tell all of his scientist friends."

"No, it doesn't have to be this way, brotha. Listen, why don't we just give his kid back."

Richard gave Eloise a significant look.

"Desmond, would you give us a moment?" he said.

"Aye." He left the clearing just as Eloise and Richard began talking in hurried whispers.

* * *

Crickets chirped peacefully outside the house of Pierre Chang. The sun was beginning to set behind the ridges of the green hills that dominated the landscape beyond the village. Inside were several people gathered in a circle.

"So are we all here then?" Sawyer asked apprehensively.

Pierre Chang stood up and patted the man on the back with his good arm.

"This," he said to the DeGroots, "Is Jim LaFleur. But you can also call him by his real name, James Ford."

Sawyer shook hands with Gerald and Karen before sitting in the last remaining seat.

"Now," said Dr Chang seriously, "To business… As you all know by now, yesterday there was an… incident. Much of our research centre, or as you know it, the Island, has been temporarily demolished by a chemical explosion."

"How did it even happen?" asked Karen DeGroot accusingly.

"I apologise but I am not permitted to disclose any more information at this time."

"But we founded the DHARMA initiative, surely we have more authority than you!"

"Things have changed. The initiative no longer belongs to you, it is in the hands of more creative and ambitious albeit ruthless young minds. Mr Ford tells me that we should plan for any similar future disasters by building a stronghold of sorts deep in the centre of the Island, I will hand over."

Sawyer proceeded to describe in as much detail as he could, Room 108 including the fact that it seemed to be powered by the energy created by golden water from the Island's heart. At midnight, discussion became hushed as if the group were worried of being overheard, even though such a thing was so unlikely. Kate sat through hours of this talking, staring at nothing in particular, letting every word enter one ear, and seamlessly flow out of the other moments later. She just didn't care. She did not care that the facilities of all DHARMA stations would be combined in Room 108, she did not care that it would withstand the forces of fire and water. She felt so unwelcome…

DAY 3

At around one in the morning she escaped into the fresh air of the porch outside and sat in the quiet for a while. Then she headed back in and went straight to bed to wait for Sawyer. He did not come.

* * *

Desmond stood up as Eloise and Richard came towards him.

"You've decided?" he asked.

"At first we were going to kill him," said Eloise, "but then we decided that might have been a little harsh," she made a pointed look at Richard to show that, in her eyes, it would not have been harsh at all, "so we're going to send him and Ben back to the scientists."

"You made the right decision." Said Desmond with a smile. "And you don't mind if I go with him?"

"That's fine, but first I think you should get some sleep, you can take my tent. You, Roger and Ben can leave at dawn," Richard told him.

"Thanks brotha." Desmond wandered back in the direction of the Others' camp. For a moment the two lingered in silence, waiting for their Scottish acquaintance to be out of earshot.

"It is the right thing, Eloise. You should know that."

"No, yeah I guess you're right. After all, there's no harm with having an inside man… or boy in our case."

"Ben?"

"Yes. He could be very valuable in the years to come."

Richard's expression was unreadable.

"Good night Eloise." He said, before leaving her and disappearing into the dark jungle.

* * *

Kate woke up and noticed that Sawyer had not ever come to bed, the meeting must have carried on through the night and far past dawn. It was now beyond midday. There were some shouts outside suddenly and she bolted to an upright position. Through the half-open blinds she could see people running. She leaped out of the bed, already dressed, and went outside.

Kate sighed in relief when she spotted a very tired-looking Roger Linus carrying his son into the village, people coming over to check if the father and son were okay. She would have gone over too, but thought twice about it when she recalled how her relationship with Roger was when she was in 1977 the previous time.

To Kate's surprise, Desmond was with Roger too. She greeted him warmly and they exchanged tales of their last few days.

DAY 4

Considering the recent evacuation of island civilians, the village seemed even busier than it had been before. The whole place seemed to be rife with activity, the most of which appeared to involve carrying heavy objects from one place to another and transporting equipment through the jungle. Kate noticed that Sawyer was becoming more and more helpful towards the scientists in building whatever it was they were trying to build. She had barely spoken to him since the meeting and missed their conversations.

Finally a brief opportunity arose when Sawyer came to grab some beers from the fridge.

"You drink too much," Kate teased from the kitchen doorway. Sawyer smiled.

"They're not for me, they're for the guys down at the Orchid. They've really been working their asses off. Even Roger's contributing elbow grease, I thought I'd never see the day."

"How is he?"

"Quiet. Quieter than usual anyway."

"Feels almost like we never left doesn't it?"

Sawyer pulled open a bag and carefully placed the beer inside.

"What is it you're doing again?"

"I told you," he gestured to the bag, "getting beer."

"No, I mean you and the science kids. Working on a project?"

"You were at the meeting Kate, I thought you knew what we were doing."

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Room 108! Our way back!"

"So that's why you've been so obsessed with all this work, because you think this 'Room 108' can get us back to our time."

"Yes."

"And once we get there?"

"We find Clem. That's the plan."

"What about Hibbs and his men?"

"Well, I'm hoping Hurley's taking care of that."

"Hurley in a war?" Kate laughed. "He's the nicest guy on Earth!"

"We're going home." Said Sawyer, "Soon." He left and Kate sighed. She sighed a lot these days.

DAY 5

The ground groaned as soil was shifted. Heavy machinery displaced masses of brown, pungent earth from the forest floor.

"I thought the truce said we weren't allowed to dig any deeper than ten meters." Said a fat, balding man, scratching his head.

"The truce said a lot of things." Replied another, taller worker.

DAY 6

"Yes. This is certainly the right shape and size." Said Sawyer appreciatively, admiring the huge, dug hole in the jungle.

"Of course it is not finished quite yet," spoke Dr Chang, "To ensure you can get back to your own time as soon as tomorrow, we shall place the machine in here first, then build Room 108 up around it and of course secure the foundations in what you mentioned was a section of water flow from the heart of The Island."

Sawyer nodded.

"Thankyou for all your help Dr Chang. Is there anything else I need for tomorrow?"

"No."

"Okay then…"

"Except-"

"What?"

"Say hello to my son." Chang told him grimly.

"… Of course."

* * *

"Pack your bags, freckles, we're going home."

"Home?" queried Kate as Sawyer excited came into the house.

"Well, you know… The present."

"Right."

"We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Do we have any paper?"

"Yeah, it's on the table over there. Why?"

"Oh, just that Dr Chang gave me an idea.

"What Idea?"

"To communicate with our friends in the present…"

Sawyer sat down by the desk in the bedroom and began to write.

_Firstly, I'd like to apologise for our sudden departure. I know you may be feeling confused but I can explain. Long story- short, we ended up back in 1977. Tell Miles his father says hello.. I know that you will be reading this not long after we left, after all, I do recall you finding this letter moments before we disappeared. We are leaving 1977 after seven days here, if your Miles' father's calculations are correct, a duplicated machine from the Orchid will take us to the time corresponding to how long we have been away (seven days after we left). Return to 108 at that time for our return. If we do not arrive then assume the worst, and go about saving my daughter by yourself and with Miles' and Hurley's help. Your friend, _

_James_

Sawyer slipped the note into an enveloped marked with Mark's name and sealed it.

DAY 7

"Thankyou again. For all of it." Said Sawyer, standing with Kate and Desmond by the machinery that would send them homeward bound.

"It was our pleasure." Replied Chang.

"Are you going to do anything about the purge?"

"What will come, will come," he said, shrugging it off, "I'm getting old now anyway, besides it's not for a while yet."

"Then I guess this is goodbye." Spoke Sawyer. He and the scientist shook hands and he explained that Mark's letter was to lie, unopened in the research centre. The three lost travellers stood inside the container. The slow, floating dust particles became illuminated and a high pitched buzz grew to a brain-splitting screech. Their vision was washed out by the light.

When the light finally dispersed, it was hard to see in the dull, cob-webbed cavern that was the rundown, dilapidated room 108.

"We're back." Gasped Kate breathlessly.

"Yeah…" said Sawyer, "I think so."

"This guy wasn't here last time…" Desmond told them quietly. He was referring to a rotting corpse, lain against one of the desks.

"I hope it's no-one we know…" said Kate.

"Do you see that?" asked Sawyer.

"What?" exclaimed Kate as knelt down by the dead man and opened his clenched fist. An envelope, more modern looking than the one Sawyer had sent to Mark.

_James, if you are reading this you have finally returned, hopefully with Kate and Desmond. I regret that you did not turn up seven days after your departure. I came back several times to check but to no avail. Much has changed on the Island. War has broken out, many have died. Hibbs has gone missing amongst the chaos but I have made it my task to hunt him down, and kill him. I promise that I will find Clementine. I will not be returning to Room 108 and instead sent a friend to leave this there, for I no longer expect you to come back and even if you do, I may well be dead by that time. _

_Miles._

"How long were we gone for then?" asked Kate after a shocked silence.

"I… I don't know." Sawyer replied.

* * *

**L O S T**

**So... when are they now?**


	24. Superstition of a Broken Mirror

**A tiny chapter today but I was so desperate to upload something! Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

[2011]

"Shit," gasped Mark. He showed Sawyer's letter to Penny, and then Miles. Each made sure they re-read the letter in order to get their head around it.

"What now?" asked Miles anxiously.

"You saw what it says," Mark told him, "We need to wait."

"I'm not waiting in this dank place for a week,"

"Well, we don't have to stay here, we can leave and come back in seven days."

"Where can we go? The place is crawling with armed men!" said Penny seriously. Mark and Miles both began thinking.

"The Temple." Miles said after a moment. "Hurley should help us out."

"Hurley?" snorted Mark indignantly, "He promised he'd return earlier but I reckon he's done a runner!"

"What do you mean?" asked Miles.

"He's missing."

"Fuck it," said Penny, much to the surprise of the others, who had not heard her swear prior to this point, "let's go there anyway, there has to be someone there, even if it isn't Hurley."

Miles nodded.

"Let's grab some ammo off the boys," he said with a gesture to the dead bodies around them, "y'know… just in case."

* * *

Hurley trudged through the jungle tiredly, he needed sleep. He rested on a log and caught his breath. He noticed he was crying a bit and wiped his eyes. He had fucked up this time, and now the fate of The Island was at stake. Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes behind him and he stood up quickly. A Caucasian teenage boy he did not recognise came into the clearing, unarmed.

"Who are you?" asked Hurley cautiously.

"I was on the plane that crashed here the other day," the boy told him. Hurley stared at him, the boy was around sixteen or seventeen and there was something familiar about him.

"Where are your parents?"

"Dead." He said, "Not in the crash… a long time ago."

"Sorry, did you tell me your name?"

"No, I'm John. John Norwood."

He held out his hand and Hugo shook it.

"So… What brings you to this island John?"

"Nothing, a freak accident."

Hurley shook his head and smiled.

"Everyone here is here for reason. I guess you haven't figured yours out yet…"

"What the hell is that meant to mean?"

"You'll see. This place is special. That's all I'll say for now. I'm headed to a safe place, you want to come?"

John pondered for a moment then nodded yes.

"Lets go." He continued in the direction of the Temple, the kid right behind him.

[The Future]

Sawyer was walking towards a rusty pair of doors through a long corridor. He stepped over dusty, broken shards of glass from the broken mirror and warned Kate and Desmond to do the same. It was good to be leaving Room 108, thought Kate; it was so stuffy and creepy. Sawyer opened the metal doors and light flooded in to meet them.

"Oh my God…" gasped Kate at the sight that met them. There were dead bodies lying near the entrance to the DHARMA station, some more decayed than others. Smoke was rising in the lower parts of the jungle suggesting fires and even more death.

"What happened here?" asked Desmond.

"Hurley and I were right," Sawyer told him, turning over a body with his foot, "there was a war."

Kate covered her mouth with her sleeve to hide the stench of the dead.

Gunfire cut the air.

"Shit, that's nearby," said Sawyer. He rushed to some berry bushes and peered through. A member of The Control was holding a man at gun point.

"Should we help him?" asked Desmond. Sawyer shook his head but Kate ran out anyway and knocked the gang member out from behind.

The other man crouched away from her, clearly worried she would do the same to him. Kate picked up a rifle from the dead Control guy and pointed it at the survivor.

"Who are you?" she asked. Meanwhile Sawyer and Desmond and come out from the bush and were coming down to meet her.

"John Norwood," said the man.

"What year is it?" asked Sawyer loudly.

"2018!" John told him.

Sawyer, Kate and Desmond shared shocked glares. Seven years. That was how long they had been gone.

"Do you know a man called Hugo Reyes?" said Sawyer.

Norwood nodded hastily.

"Take us to him."

[2011]

Miles, Mark and Penny reached the temple wall.

"Well…" said Mark expectantly, "How do we get in?"

"Hugo!" shouted Miles. Suddenly there was a grinding of gears from behind the wall and a section of ancient stone disappeared beneath the ground. Hurley was standing on the other side. He nodded to the Temple behind him and said;

"Get in,"

The others obliged and crossed the point where the wall had descended.

"Handy that, isn't it," said Hugo as the wall returned to it's original position behind them, "had it installed recently, a quick way in for the good guys."

"What happened to you?" asked Mark, "you said you'd come back."

"I forgot to leave a trail to find my way back, I apologise but you must understand I was… disturbed by the events of last night. It's just too dangerous to go out anyway now, the Man in Black must have taken human form by now…"

"For your information, he hasn't actually." Mark told him.

"And how would you know that?"

"Well it did chase me through a wall of glass, I know that much…"

Hurley frowned.

"Well, that doesn't make any sense… unless…"

"What is it?" asked Miles.

"I'll tell you by the pool, we should go inside. The wall will stop anyone seeing us but it won't stop them from hearing us."

"This place has a pool?" asked Penny disbelievingly.

They headed through the courtyard where people were rushing back and forth with weapons with a sense of urgency. As they were walking Hurley asked a question,

"Where are the others, Sawyer, Kate, Desmond?"

"Oh yeah," said Miles, "About that, we may not be seeing them for a little while…"

They arrived by the healing pool and sat on benches.

"And why do you say that?" Hurley asked.

After a lengthy and detailed explanation describing the time-travelling shenanigans that the missing trio had been going through Hugo sat back and sighed.

"I'd like it if you kept this between us," he said gently.

"Why?" asked Mark.

"Because if Hibbs realises that Sawyer is no longer here he may get the wrong idea and Clementine will be worth a great deal less to him."

Miles nodded understandingly. There was a pause. Hurley went out to get something for them to eat.

He returned with a fruit bowl and a cooked rabbit on a wooden plate.

"Now," he said quietly, "Tell me everything."

[2018]

Birds cried gently over the ruined island below. It was sunset and the sky was orange. Beneath the beautiful birds, and half shrouded in shadow from the surrounding green hills, laid a meadow of long grass, through which Sawyer, Kate and Desmond were following their new acquaintance, John Norwood.

The walking was making Sawyer realise how tired he was. It felt like more than forty years since he had last slept and he just wanted to get to Hurley and find out Hibbs' whereabouts. Then, he may finally get back to his beloved daughter… if she was still alive.

He cursed under his breath at that previous thought, it was far too late to be a pessimist, the possibility of her survival was the only thing keeping him going. He glanced at Kate, who was trudging through the field next to him, looking equally exhausted… maybe Clementine was not the only thing motivating him after all.

Sawyer prepared to make a right and enter the jungle but John kept straight ahead.

"What are you doing?" he asked suddenly. John turned to look at him.

"I'm taking you to Hugo…" he replied slowly. Sawyer shook his head.

"The temple is that way," he told the young man. At the mention of the temple, John looked solemn.

"I'm not taking you to the temple."

"Why not?"

"Because Hugo isn't there. No-one is there."

"What aren't you telling us?" asked Kate suspiciously.

"The temple was destroyed… it was destroyed a long time ago."

"How?" said Sawyer.

"In the war."

"Right… and who won? Who won this war? If the temple is destroyed and Hugo is in hiding somewhere else then it sounds like you lost."

"If we had lost, I would not be here." John told him, "The war is still raging. I am grateful that Hugo's had my back all these years. He saved my ass more times than I care to mention. On top of that he's a nice guy. He taught me things. Things I never knew, about the Island, about destiny… about my father."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. He was never the sentimental type.

"So if you aren't taking us to the temple, where are you taking us?" he asked.

"The mines." John told him.

"Mines… What the fuck is being mined out here?"

"I'm not sure I should say."

Sawyer pulled a gun on him.

"If I were you I would just give out some answers, boy. How can we even trust you? How do we know that you are who you say you are?"

"Sawyer put the gun down," said Kate.

"He could be leading us into a trap," he growled back.

Kate opened her mouth to protest some more but before she could John spoke, this time calmly.

"I know you James Ford." He said pointedly. "I can't blame you for your lack of trust in me. I know the feeling of being stabbed in the back, trust me on that at least."

"How much do you know? By the way, it's usually the bad guys that have the information about us so think carefully before you say something you regret."

"Oceanic flight 815." John said. "You were on it." He turned to Kate, "You were on it," then to Desmond with raised eyebrows, "You brought it down."

"And why has Hugo been telling you so much about our plane?"

"Because my father was on it."

Sawyer was about to ask who on earth John's father was but in a matter of seconds he felt a sharp pain in his neck as a dart pierced him. The grass cushioned his slow fall and the stars flying in front of him guided him to sleep while around him, his company were also being brought to the ground.

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Leave a review if you like. Sorry again for the short chapter. I do plan to make a revised, extended edition when the story is finished (should be around the year 3056 then).**


	25. Last Call for New Recruits

**New chapter. Read. Enjoy. **

* * *

Miles was in an odd place. Underground it seemed, though nothing like Room 108. It was a lot smaller, a lot hotter and a bit brighter. Or at least it was bright every few seconds (the lights were flickering manically). Miles looked up and down the corridor. To his surprise he saw none other than his father, Pierre Chang at the other end. Pierre smiled and exited through a door. Intrigued, Miles followed.

It led to a wreck of a room, there was metallic rubbish all of the floor. Pierre was standing by a large poster. The poster was just a big square of parchment which had been drawn on. The picture looked like a map. Pierre put his hand on the top of the map and tore it from the wall revealing what was behind it.

And then Miles woke up. He was on a pile of wide green leaves by the temple pool. Penny was lying awake nearby and Mark was snoring. There were a few empty wine bottles lying around from the previous night. After they had told Hurley their story he had told them that they should relax for the night and that the next day the war would truly begin. Well here they were the following morning and there was no gunfire or explosions yet, that was something. Miles struggled to recall the details of the bizarre dream but found himself unable to remember much of it. Just his father.

"Rise and shine," said Hugo coming into the pool room. "You lot need some training before anything else."

"Hugo, I know how to fire a gun," said Miles tiredly "I'm a cop,"

"You know how to fire a gun back in civilisation, this is the wild, pulling the trigger here is a completely different ordeal, especially with the people we're up against. Come on, get up we can practice with blanks.."

And so Miles, Penny and Mark spent the morning practicing their aim, cover options and speed.

It took them a while to get started as Mark seemed unable to wake up but once they splashed a bucket of water on him and got going, things went well and by the afternoon all three were prepared for anyone that dared come their way.

Hurley also practiced a bit himself, as did Walt. Two other people keen to learn were Harrison Cole, a young man who was part of the Others and already had some training, along with John Norwood, a new recruit and one of the Ajira survivors; he had never held a gun before.

Penny was annoyed that Hurley was letting a teenager use guns, she argued that it was irresponsible, behind her back Miles joked her nagging was because she was jealous that John was better than her. Walt tried to get Ben to practice too but for some reason he just wasn't in the mood.

"Remind me who we're even going to be fighting," asked Penny, wiping sweat from her brow around one o clock.

"Well," Hugo told her, "There are a few factions out there at the moment." He counted them on his chubby fingers, "We've got Hibbs and his men, who are currently in possession of Sawyer's daughter, then there are The Control and their leader, Jake I believe his name is, and then there are the cops from the Ajira flight, they should be on our side."

Mark made a sound suddenly.

"What is it?" asked Hurley.

"Yeah, we kind of pissed them off…"

"Who?"

"Me and Sawyer. But it was just because he wasn't on the manifest, we could still sway them to be on our side."

Hurley looked sceptical.

"So that's three lots of people who are bound to attack us on sight then." He recapped, "And don't forget the Man in Black too. He'll be scheming to get me killed already, and if that means he has to get through all of you I see no reason he won't try to cut you lot down too. I feel like we're forgetting someone…"

"What about the rest of the Ajira survivors?" asked John Norwood.

"Oh yeah," said Hurley, "I guess I've been overlooking them."

"We can't leave them out there," John told him, "you've just told us how dangerous it is…"

"There is a good chance they're already dead." Said Mark seriously.

"Even if only one or two are still alive, we really should bring them back here, where it's safe."

John seemed determined to bring those survivors back to the Temple.

"It'd be worth it," he argued, "if you won't do it to save them, at least do it so we have more people on our side."

Hurley nodded decisively.

"That's a good point, we need all the people we can get. But I'm not sending everyone out, that's unnecessary."

"Just send me." Said the teenager enthusiastically.

"I can't do that John, that's a bit too risky. You still don't know much about the Island. Who else is up for this?"

Miles, Mark, Penny agreed they were willing to help, as did Walt and Harrison.

"Okay, you lot and John better head out and find those survivors, they're likely to be hanging around the plane wreck so you should probably check there first. If not, look for tracks."

John looked excited.

"Can I take a gun?" he asked. As an answer, Hugo placed a 9 millimetre in his hands,

"Use it well," he said with a smile.

"When should we head out?" asked Walt.

"I'd go now if I were you," Hurley replied, "I want you all back before it gets dark."

"Sure thing, Hugo." Said Harrison obediently.

The five of them prepared to leave and checked they had all they need. Hurley gestured for Miles to come over,

"If you run into the Man in Black," he said quietly, "use this," he placed a small pouch of ash into Mile's hand.

"Thanks Hugo. I'll see you." they embraced briefly and Miles patted his big friend on the back. Then he, Mark, Penny, Harrison, Walt and John Norwood left the temple and began their hike to the wreckage of Ajira flight 423…

[2018]

Sawyer couldn't breathe. It was dark and he couldn't breathe. There was not enough air, or that was what it felt like anyway. Where was he? All he knew is that Kate and Desmond were nowhere around him and that his neck was still aching where the sedative dart had punctured the skin.

His hands were cold. He realised that they were in chains. The place was damp, and the wall behind him was stone, it felt like some sort of sinister dungeon. As he squinted in the dark, his sight adjusted and he began seeing more and more. A few light rays were coming from It certainly looked like a dungeon, almost medieval, opposite him was a wooden door.

Small water droplets were trickling down the iron bolts on the back of the door. The way light bounced off them reminded Sawyer of watching miniscule car headlights from his apartment window back home.

Sawyer looked at the floor. What he saw horrified him; bones, there must have been hundreds of them. They were small though, animal bones, rats probably.

"Shit," he croaked. That croak made him notice how thirsty he was. He yanked at the chains binding him to the wall; perhaps he could pull a stone loose. Sawyer suspected that back in Los Angeles, under the right conditions he would easily muster the strength to break free. But he wasn't in LA. He wasn't a cop here either. He was just a weak little man alone in a dungeon on some uncharted island. He had no strength left in him.

Seconds passed.

Hours passed.

An eternity passed.

There was a clicking noise as something was unlocked. The door opposite opened slowly and loudly. There was a man standing there. But Sawyer couldn't make out his face.

"Hello Sawyer. I've been waiting seven years for you to come back."

The voice was unmistakable. It was the voice of Hibbs.

[2011]

Ben sat at his desk bouncing Dogen's baseball continuously against the wall.

There was a knock at the door and he fumbled the ball, which now rolled across the floor of the room.

"Come in," he said loudly. Hurley entered. "What can I do for you Hugo?"

"What was that about earlier dude?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Why wouldn't you practice with us."

"I told you I wasn't in the mood."

"You love guns," said Hugo with a wide smile. Ben shook his head.

"I don't love them, I respect them."

"Okay…" Hurley frowned and picked up the baseball, "You drop this?"

"Thanks," said Ben, placing it on the desk.

"So what's our next move?"

"Well I've already sent out Harrison and the others to retrieve some Ajira survivors."

"Even the kid?"

"He can handle it." Hurley told him confidently.

"Right."

"… I gave them our last pouch of Shephard ash."

Ben sighed and looked at Hurley.

"So that's why you're here."

Hurley gave him a look that resembled a sad puppy.

"Fine, I'll get some more. We're lucky the mines are close by."

"Thanks dude. I would go myself, but I think you're less likely to be spotted if anyone passes by."

"A fair assumption to make," Ben replied casually. "I'll leave in a moment."

* * *

Miles, Mark, Penny, Harrison, John and Walt trekked through the jungle pretty fast. The latter three however had the edge for they were far younger than the others. At points during the journey it felt almost like some strange race.

Walt caught up to John, who was at the front.

"You're sure you know the way?" Walt asked.

"Yeah, I've always a good mind for things like this, orienteering, exploring and shit."

Walt raised his eyebrows at the language.

"I was even younger than you when I first crashed here." He said. "My father wouldn't have liked me saying stuff like that. Where are your parents?"

"Dead." John told him automatically, he had answered the question so many times that it was his go-to response and required no thought process.

"I'm very sorry. Was there anyone with you on the plane?"

"My uncle was on it but I couldn't find him earlier."

"With any luck we'll find him this time." Said Walt.

"We're almost at the wreck," John declared. There was something about the way he'd said it, thought Walt, something so vaguely familiar to him. The sight of the plane nose peeking unnaturally through the tree canopy swept these thoughts immediately from Walt's head.

"Woah," he said, "You don't see that every day…"

Beneath the plane was a lake, around which were some amateur-looking tents made from tat. People were drinking from the lake and when they spotted the six newcomers looked nervous. Mark out up his hands jokingly and said,

"We come in peace!" this did not make the survivors behave any more warmly towards the group.

"John!" called one of the survivors, running up to greet his nephew. They embraced. Then the man took John by his side defensively.

"Who are this lot? I don't remember seeing any of them on the plane… And is that a… a gun?"

John's uncle was rather chubby and had a comical-looking moustache. The arrival of these people seemed to leave him flustered.

"Uncle, I'm old enough."

"Like hell you are!" sneered his uncle, snatching the weapon from him.

"I've smoked too you know," John told him smugly.

"Your mother smoked and it killed her!"

"She didn't die of lung cancer though, it was-"

"Enough, who are these people?"

"They were already here. Natives."

Miles snorted. Was he classed as an Island native now?

"You think this is funny?" spluttered the uncle, hitting Miles with the handle of the gun. Luckily, he wasn't very strong.

"Chill out man," said Walt calmly, "What's your name?"

The man seemed to relax a bit more and get a hold of himself.

"Ned Norwood." He extended a hand pompously.

Walt shook it reluctantly.

"We're here to take you somewhere safe." Said Penny.

"Safe? What's wrong with the jungle, I like it here and nobody's dead yet."

"And if you don't want that to change, I suggest you come with us," said Miles.

"Is that a threat?" shouted Ned, flaring up again.

"No!" replied Miles. He was getting agitated now. It was already late afternoon and they had to be at the Temple before dark.

"You'll just have to trust us, sir" said Harrison.

Addressing Ned as sir seemed to be doing the trick.

"There are dangerous people who may want to hurt you out here." John told his uncle. He thought for a moment and then began nodding.

"Very well then, very well, let me fetch my things." Said Ned and waddled back to his tent to tell the rest that they should leave. Nobody appeared to argue at this and they all packed up their things.

Mark sighed.

"Well… That was… Difficult." He said.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Sorry about that," John told them apologetically.

"We understand." Said Harrison, "Family can be a hassle sometimes."

They waited patiently and Mark went to take a piss in the bushes.

A bird squawked threateningly above and Penny flinched.

"You okay?" asked Miles.

"Just on edge I guess." She told him, "Earlier I felt like we were being watched. I keep expecting to be attacked." Miles searched the tree line cautiously.

"It could happen…" he said.

"Holy shit," came Mark's voice loudly from nearby. Miles rushed over and found him standing by a bloody body. A tall man, a gold chain around his neck.

"Who is this guy?" Miles enquired curiously, bending down to examine him. Mark shrugged.

"Whoever he is, I almost covered him in pee."

"Lovely," sighed Penny, arriving at the scene. Miles checked for a pulse.

"He's alive. Hey, hey buddy, wake up!"

The man stirred.

"How'd you end up down here?" asked Penny as he sat up achingly.

"I don't know," he gasped, "I was on a plane, it crashed. I think I was being chased. I can't remember much."

"How about your name?" said Miles, "You remember that?"

"Jason."

"Another 'J' huh?" joked John, who'd come over to see what was going on. Jason gave a half smile and pulled himself to his feet.

"So you guys were on 423 as well?"

"Sort of." Said Mark. "It's a long story."

"We'll explain on the way." Miles assured him.

"The way where?"

"There's a temple. It's safe. Or at least safer than it is out here. There are monsters, gangsters, pissed off cops and whole other manner of shit running around at the moment."

Jason frowned.

"Confused?" asked Penny. "You'll get used to that."

Harrison came over.

"I think everyone's ready, we should get going."

"No time to waste," said John and the group headed back to the centre of the clearing where Ned Norwood and the others were now carrying there bags on their backs, ready to go to the temple…

* * *

"It's dark." Said Harrison as the large crowd of people trudged almost blindly through the jungle a few hours later.

"So what?" asked Miles.

"Hurley was very specific-"

"Oh, no, I'm pretty sure that was just a guideline." This didn't seem to comfort Harrison.

"Chill out man… We'll be fine."

"We should have done a head count before we set out from the clearing."

"Calm down, this isn't a horror movie, people aren't just gonna start disappearing when they're at the back. Look, we're here now anyway."

Hurley was waiting for them just outside the temple wall, the entrance was already open.

"Welcome." He said happily, leading them inside after introducing himself, holding a torch aloft. When they reached the circle of ash the leader had to explain…

"Whatever you do, don't break it." Hurley told them.

"Last time I checked, free will was a human right Mr Reyes." Grumbled Ned Norwood.

"Well this ash is keeping out certain things we don't want getting in you see…" he dare not mention the monster itself as it would cause panic.

"Come," he beckoned, stepping over the ash.

They came into the courtyard.

"There's enough space for all of you here to sleep," Harrison said to the group, "we should get some rest now if we don't want to be tired tomorrow."

"Shit," said Jason suddenly.

"What's up?"

"I've dropped my chain…"

"Chain?"

"It's like a necklace," he said feebly. Harrison realised he had probably been avoiding that word.

"Fine, have a look for it. If you don't find it in ten minutes give up and look in the morning."

"Thanks." Jason said cheerfully. He headed back alone to where the line of ash was and picked up the chain he had purposefully dropped earlier. Hanging off it was a police badge.

[FLASHBACK]

Jason and his partner watched from the tree-line as John Norwood argued with his uncle.

"Who are this lot that just turned up?" Jason wondered aloud. His partner bit his lip nervously.

"I've got an idea."

"What?"

"Go undercover, get information and report back. Here," the partner handed Jason a walkie talkie, "so you can communicate with the chief."

Jason nodded.

"Apart from getting information, anything else I should do?"

"I heard them talking about some temple. Do anything possible to lower the security, so we can get you out of there if necessary."

Another nod.

"Alright, I'm ready. Knock me out."

"Seriously?"

"Just do it."

Jason felt his nose break and collapsed.

[PRESENT]

"Well…" Jason said to himself, kicking apart the line of ash around the temple, "You're not keeping us out."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, new part coming... eventually :)**


	26. The Fourth Soldier

**Hi, a short chapter whose ulterior motive is to let you know I'm still alive. Enjoy. **

* * *

[FLASHBACK]

Jason, followed by a few other police officers filed onto Ajira flight 423. Sometimes, he couldn't believe his luck. The academy had seen past his anger issues and tried their best not to bring up the years he had spent institutionalised in a hospital of mental health. Now, here he was, escorting two caught fugitives back to their homeland with several of his colleagues.

Izzet Deniz Badem sat down, still in cuffs. His sister, Melek, was sat on the opposite aisle.

"Why can't I sit next to my brother?" she asked innocently to any officer who'd listen.

"Precautions," grunted one of them, "Now be silent." She looked at her feet in mock shame.

Jason closed his eyes for the take off. He was never very comfortable putting so much faith in something that wasn't human.

Izzet chuckled from nearby.

"Look at him, eh. Scared I guess." Jason kept his eyelids tightly shut and gritted his teeth, feeling pretty sure that Izzet was referring to him.

"Hey, pussy! Open your eyes man."

"Shh." Said one of the other officers semi-sternly.

"What you going to do? You're all pussies. So many of you just to escort the two of us."

The plane trembled slightly, it was now levelling out. Jason let in light once more.

"Finally." Said Izzet. "Real men fear nothing. Not even death."

Some hours later Izzet made another fuss, he wanted to go to the bathroom.

"Hold it in." said Jason coldly.

"Screw you, who do you think you are?"

"Fuck off." Jason told him quietly.

"Sorry, what was that? Say it louder…"

"I said FUCK OFF."

In a sudden whirl Jason felt gravity shift. Just then, the whole plane was loud, full of screams. And somewhere, while he was busy blacking out, there was laughter. One man was laughing- Izzet; he really wasn't scared of anything.

[Present]

Jason opened the drawer in Hurley's office and found many parchments. He began to rifle through them, looking for anything interesting or suspicious. Names. Lots and lots of names. There were so many, none of which the undercover officer recognised. He knew he would spot any familiar name straight away for he had talented eyes and a good night's sleep at the temple.

"Can I help you?" said a voice from the doorway. It was Ben.

"No, I'm fine. I just… think I dropped some paper in the uh, courtyard and wondered if it had been put away accidentally."

"What's on it?" Ben asked quickly yet un-accusingly.

"A letter… from my father- which I had on the plane."

"I'll let you know if I find it but you shouldn't be in here."

"Thanks." Said Jason, feigning a smile and rushing past Ben, out of the room.

[The Next Week]

Seven days had come and gone. Today should have been the day. Mark, Penny and Miles had stared at the time-travel chamber in Room 108 for hours but the sun was going down once again. Sawyer, Kate and Desmond had not returned. Every day at 8:15pm, one chink of orange light would find it's way through the open DHARMA doors, down the long concrete corridor, past wet rocks and stalagmites, hitting a square centimetre of steel railing near the chamber. Penny stared at it, thinking of the days where she and Desmond had watched the sunset together. She'd kept her feelings repressed for the last week. She hadn't told anyone that she felt like a part of her soul was missing.

Miles thought of Sawyer- more specifically the mission that brought them out here in the first place, finding Sawyers daughter. It seemed hopeless now. Hibbs had gone off the radar. Even if they did find him, getting Clem back wasn't going to be easy.

Mark was worried for Kate. He doubted he'd ever be over her.

The chink of light was there for no longer than five minutes. It disappeared, leaving the trio in darkness once more.

"We should head back." Said Miles sadly. Mark nodded and Penny reluctantly tore her eyes away from the chamber.

"Fine." She croaked, wiping a tear away.

* * *

John sat cross-legged by the temple healing pool, eyes closed, in a meditation position. The dusk sun from outside lay warmly against his face.

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?" He asked Hurley, who was sitting on a rock nearby.

"Because I need you to tap into your energy. I want to find out what makes you special."

"Special? At my school that's used as an insult y'know."

"Just relax. You have something that others lack. The DHARMA initiative called people like you anomalies. Here we call them candidates."

"Ah, candidates. Walt was telling me about that- don't tell me… people to replace you right?" Hurley nodded.

"Well, should I die or become unable to continue protecting the Island, a candidate will take the responsibility upon themselves. Walt is currently next in line."

"So you were a candidate once too?"

"Yes, yes I was."

"How do you choose which is the best?"

"There is no 'best'. Each candidate has their own unique traits and abilities. I want to find out what makes you tick."

"Perfect."

"Anyway, it isn't my choice to make really. It is for the candidate to decide whether they are ready."

"Are there ever two candidates that fight over the job?"

"Not that I've seen. After all, the job isn't particularly popular- it means staying on this Island for the most part of your life, growing hold and handing down the torch. A lot of people just don't want that kind of thing."

"How many candidates are there?"

"The problem is that they could be anywhere in the world. From time to time it becomes necessary to bring some together and wreck them here, but very rarely. Harrison is a candidate though. You know Walt is and now you know that you are too." John looked thoughtful.

"So is that why you crashed our plane? Because I was on it?" Hurley laughed.

"No, no. That was for my friends- they were in danger and it was the only way to save them."

"Oh. So it was just a coincidence then." Hugo shook his head.

"I don't believe in coincidence. Now, breathe in deeply and picture your childhood. What can you see?"

John breathed in, his eyes still firmly shut, as instructed, and began to describe his early years.

"I see a coffin."

"Who's in it?"

"My mother. I'm at the funeral."

"How old are you?"

"Eleven."

"How do you feel? Sad? Regretful?"

"I do feel sad. But…" he paused.

"Go on,"

"But… I'm not as sad as everyone else…"

"… And why do you think that is?"

"I- I'm not sure."

"Think hard. Why aren't you as sad as the others?"

"Because… because… she had a good life. And I feel like… perhaps, she had to die. Maybe it was so I learnt how to look after myself."

"So, you think that… it was for a reason?"

John smiled.

"Yeah, yeah maybe."

"Do you want to go deeper?" asked Hurley.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? Only say yes if you feel you can trust me."

"I trust you."

"Okay then, which other emotions are you familiar with?"

"Curiosity."

"Go on…"

"I like to explore. Solve questions, find answers. But, but I usually never get there…"

"Why not?"

"Because it feels… taboo. I feel as if questioning things is wrong."

"Would you say that this creates conflict within you?"

"It makes me… frustrated."

"When have you felt most curious John? Was there any specific time?"

"Regarding my father. His identity. He left my mother before I was born."

"And she never told you who he was?"

"No. She just said he was dead."

"Did you believe her?"

"Maybe."

"What does that mean?"

"I pretend to believe it but… there was a moment…"

"What moment?"

"I was visiting my mother about a year and a half after her death. I was coming to the grave, with fresh flowers. There were two men. A dark man, standing having a conversation with a Caucasian man in a wheelchair."

"A wheelchair?" said Hurley suspiciously. He cleared his throat. "Do you think the Caucasian was your father?"

"At the time I did… But I don't know…"

"What colour was his hair?" asked Hurley.

"What?"

"Just answer the question."

"It was four years ago!"

"Try. Just try…"

"Fine! Okay… I think… it was… Brown. Yeah brown hair."

Hurley sighed and sat back. What had he been thinking? He felt stupid now.

"Wait, no, I remember!"

"What? What do you remember?"

"Sorry I was wrong, the man… he was bald."

Hurley stared unblinkingly in silence. John, concerned, opened his eyes.

"What?" this seemed to snap Hurley out of a trance.

"I think that's quite enough for today, dude." He said.

"Really? That's it? What about my 'unique quality'?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do!"

"But we only just met the other week."

"So?"

"So that means, your unique quality… is faith." Hurley said, breaking into a proud smile. "Now please leave" he said politely.

John nodded and left, deep in thought about the session. It was almost as if Hurley knew something he didn't…

Once John had left Hurley returned to the office room and sat down at the desk.

"Faith." He repeated quietly to himself, "… Like father, like son…"

Suddenly, a knock on the door.

"Come in."

It was Ben.

"Hello Hugo…" he said casually.

"Did they get back?"

"Yes, they've just arrived but no sign of Sawyer, Kate or Desmond I'm afraid."

Hurley sighed in annoyance.

"Anyway, Ben, I need to ask a favour."

"Really? You've already run out of Shephard dust? I am not going back to the mines so soon, it's been a week since the last time and-" Hurley raised a hand to silence him.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Oh. What favour are you referring to then?"

"I think John may be the fourth soldier." Said Hugo. The fourth soldier was an important component for the upcoming war, and Hurley felt closer than ever to bringing out that sort of potential…

"Norwood? I had a sense about him."

"But at the moment it's just a theory. I need you to test him further."

"Why me?"

"I need to run some errands."

"What errands?"

"Ben, this Island used to be all about mystery, I don't want to ruin that." Said Hurley, half joking, half not. Ben smiled.

"What?"

"Cryptic. Sounds like the sort of thing I used to say when I was a leader."

Now Hurley smiled.

"Well, what goes around comes around I guess." Ben chuckled for a moment and shook his head.

"But seriously…" he pleaded, "Just tell me."

"… We have to even the odds." Said Hurley slowly.

"The odds will never be even." Ben replied somewhat darkly. "The scales shall remain eternally unbalanced."

"Never any harm in trying." His boss reminded him.

"… What's the plan?"

"There are cops out there. Men of the law. So what if Sawyer and Mark caused them trouble? I can talk them into joining our cause."

"And what is our cause again?"

"Isn't it obvious Ben?" Ben raised his eyebrows. "Survival."

They looked at each other.

"Fine, do it," agreed Ben. "I hope you convince them."

"That's easy, finding them is the hard part."

"I'll see you when you get back Hugo." Said the adviser with a smile.

* * *

Penny wasn't eating. She sat with Miles on the temple roof. It was a place that they, Mark and John had been using to relax in the evenings.

"Come on," encouraged Miles, "You'll starve if you don't… Desmond will be fine. He always is."

"But he could be anywhere. Or rather any time."

"Even by some cruel twist of fate you do never see him again, your son is still on the mainland waiting for you. Don't let him lose his mother."

At this Penny came to her senses and consumed the boar meat he was offering.

"Thankyou." He said. There was quiet while she ate and Miles felt awkward, unsure if he should leave or stay. "I caught that myself y'know." Penny swallowed and replied;

"I'm surprised Hugo let you out and about."

"Well… you see I'm not really-"

"-A rule type person?"

"Exactly. Anyway, this close to the temple has never really been that dangerous. There is supposedly a war going on and yet we have no fighting."

"Well we don't, I bet the other factions have been battling it out elsewhere."

"Possibly."

Penny ate some more and Miles looked around at the jungle. He was listening intently, though the chance of hearing gunfire from there was unlikely.

"When I was young," said Penny suddenly, "there was a news broadcaster I would watch with my mother. And the weather forecast was always spot on… just never at the right time."

"What do you mean?" Miles asked.

"Well for example, if sun was forecast on Monday there would be a heat wave on Thursday. If they forecast rain, thunder and lightning everyone would laugh the next day when nothing happened. But my mother and I knew that the show was always right so we would stock up and wait for the storm. And sure enough a storm would come… and we'd be the only ones ready."

"Why are you telling me about this?"

"I think you know."

He sat back and nodded slowly.

"Don't worry about me." He told her, "I'm always ready."

* * *

**'The Fourth Soldier' is something you'll understand soon. In the meantime, thanks for reading. And being patient with my slow writing :)**


	27. The Clouds Burst

**I decided recently to begin drawing this story to a close... The next few chapters, starting with the one after this, will feature several climaxes to the story followed by an epilogue. I am also going to re-upload most of the old chapters, improved slightly and more coherent. For now, there is a hidden theme in this chapter, I wonder if you can work out what it is...**

* * *

Hurley crept through the dark jungle and listened intently. The Island was telling him where the missing band of cops were through a technique that even Hugo did not fully understand. An owl hooted softly nearby as Hurley reached the edge of a clearing from which firelight could be seen glaring.

There were seven cops by three makeshift tents. In the centre of the clearing was an eighth figure on their knees. Two officers paced around the woman, who looked terrified.

"Who are you?" asked one of them. No answer.

"We have reason to believe the Control were in this area. Did you see them?" The woman nodded her head frantically at this and Hugo noticed the sweat on her forehead glowing red with the reflection of flames coming from a campfire. Both cops questioning her were armed with 9mms.

"Whose side are you on? Do you work for the gang?" Annie shook her head in reply.

"Why won't you speak?" asked one of the cops, in a tone that gave away his agitation.

Tears silently rolled down Annie's cheeks as she opened her mouth wide, allowing the light of the fire to illuminate the cavernous space. Where her tongue had once been was now a scarred stub of one. The cops looked at her in disgust.

"Did the Control do this to you?"

Annie nodded.

Hurley decided it was time to step in. He emerged from the tree line with his hands up. The police officers were startled for a second.

"I come in peace."

"Who do you represent?" asked the man closest to him, hand firmly on his gun…

"… I represent this island."

The cops looked at each other for a moment. The one nearest finally loosened the grip on his weapon and extended his hand.

"Then we have no quarrel with you my friend."

Hurley was surprised but relieved and shook his hand before introducing himself.

"Hugo."

"I am Fernando, and this is most of my team."

"Where did you find her?" Hurley asked, pointing at Annie.

"A few hundred feet away, unconscious. Her tongue has been cut out. By the Control."

"Well, that's not too bad. It can be fixed. I have a healing pool in a temple not far from here. We should take her there."

Annie looked far less frightened now and even stopped crying when she understood she could get her tongue back.

"You want us all to come?" Fernando asked.

"Well, yes. We need you on our side you see. To fight the gang… among other enemies."

"One of us is already at your temple." Said another officer, approaching the pair, "Jason. He's undercover."

"Well," said Fernando, "We can tell him there is no need now. He is with the right people." The other nodded.

"I'll try to get him on my walkie."

"How long will that take?" asked Hurley.

"Oh, not long at all. A few minutes."

* * *

Miles and Mark were in touch with their inner children tonight. The excitement gained from discovering endless labyrinths of secret passages within the temple was that which rivalled only the glee of a young boy imagining things like this.

The pair were sitting victorious atop their most recent discovery. This one involved finding a trap door in the courtyard, beneath which was a gushing river. They would jump down and be swept off by the current down a tunnel into a small underground lake. In the middle of the lake was a small island decorated with ancient ruins similar to those in the courtyard. It was on these old stones the two explorers sat.

"I'll tell you Miles, I'm really not cut out for this stuff." Mark said eventually, his voice echoing around the cave.

"I don't know, three of the passages we found today were found by you, man."

"I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about being caught up in a battle of factions. Fighting for survival, fighting for an Island, fighting to get back a little girl. I feel like death's at every corner."

"Oh, you'll get used to that." Miles told him. "You've just got to ignore that feeling you could die at any second and tell Death you're not ready."

Mark stared at the water of the lake, thinking.

"I shouldn't be here. I thought if I showed some bravery, I could start afresh. But it's not that easy. Sometimes I wonder if it's too late to start afresh. I have to live with the mistakes I've made. Which means I must die with them too, when the time comes."

Miles grinned.

"Seriously, you'll learn to deal with it over the next few weeks. Soon you'll be a natural, like me."

He hopped down from the pillar he was on and started swimming across the lake to reach the ascending stone steps on the other side. Mark followed a few moments later.

* * *

"Jason, come in Jason."

The cop who had just spoken waited with baited breath along side Hurley. The walkie finally replied.

"Is this Fernando's team?"

"Yes it is, good to hear from you man. You're still at the temple right?"

"Yeah. Yeah I'm still here… why?"

"The operation's over Jason, your cover's no longer needed…"

The next reply took a few more seconds.

"No, that's not- I think I'm really getting somewhere with these people, give me a few more-"

"We are standing here with their leader. He is no threat to us and his people don't have to be either. Do you copy?"

"You know what, this is bullshit. I've been out here infiltrating, weakening security, breaking lines of voodoo ash. What have you guys been doing? Hiding out in the jungle, that's just-"

Fernando came over and snatched the radio from his partners hand.

"Jason," he said sternly, "We're on our way to that temple, do not move a muscle, you got that?"

"… See you then. Over."

"We have got to get moving." Said Hurley urgently.

"What's the rush? Don't be scared of Jason, he hasn't hurt a fly since he was-"

"The 'voodoo' ash he mentioned is key to the survival of every last person in that temple. If he really broke that line of ash we need to un-break it A.S.A.P." he shook calmly as he sharply and slowly illustrated the acronym. "Do you understand officer?"

Fernando gradually fell into a rhythmic nod.

"You heard the man." He called to the rest of the cops. Hurley watched as the group's leader took out his gun. He knew it would be useless against the Man in Black but explaining that would simply waste more time and lead to more questions.

"Move out!" Fernando shouted at last, hurrying from the clearing closely followed by the cops. Hurley pulled Annie to her feet and left her at the back of the group to join Fernando at the front and show him the way to the temple…

* * *

Mark spent the sunrise hours fishing in the slower stretch of a river near the temple. It was more tranquil than anything had been in his entire life and he wondered how peaceful his life would be if every day began the same way. Ben had lent him the pole and he had found worms to sacrifice pretty easily in the dirt. He had caught two large carp that morning and put them in a bucket. Penny came to find him eventually.

"Miles said you'd have breakfast by now." She explained.

He stood and handed her the bucket.

"Take those to him. I'll catch up in a minute, I just need to pack this stuff away."

As she headed back he rinsed the hook and put the pole and equipment into a bag. A few minutes later he was hurrying back to the temple. The path from river to temple lead to the buildings back entrance. He hopped over the line of ash and went in through a series of old corridors. The route would take him through the temple and out the other side into the courtyard. Half way through this journey he heard someone cursing under their breath nearby. The voice was coming from a room that was usually uninhabited. It was a study of sorts but had not been used in a long time and thus was far dustier than Hugo's office. Old tomes decorated rotten tables and thick cobwebs welded the pages of the books shut as Mark had learned the hard way when he had initially been snooping around.

Jason was kicking the smallest table, swearing louder with each hit. He had an object in his hand which he eventually threw at the wall. The walkie came apart as it came into contact with the strong stone.

"'Don't move a muscle'," he was muttering to himself, "who does he think he is?"

"Jason…" said Mark.

"…What are you doing here?"

There was something different about Jason today, it was as if he was in the process of having some sort of break down.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked him cautiously.

"Am I okay? What does it look like Mark?"

"Well I just caught some fish maybe you'll feel better if-"

"You caught some fish? That's good for you man. Sorry I couldn't catch any. Guess I'm just too crazy right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know full well what the fuck I'm talking about."

"Look, I'm gonna leave okay." Mark turned and began to walk out.

Suddenly there was a sharp click.

"Freeze."

A gun had been cocked behind him. Mark slowly put up his hands and went too face Jason.

"I'm not your enemy." He said as calmly as was possible.

"Everyone is." Scowled the other. He chuckled softly. "I'm sorry man. I know- I know you believed in me Fernando. You thought I could get better but this… this isn't going to work."

"I am not Fernando. And I pose no threat to you. Let me walk out of here and no-one has to know what happened."

"I lowered their defences, I've done everything you asked, and I am so close."

"Wait- are you talking about the temple? You lowered the defences of the temple?"

"Mark…" Jason sighed, "I wish you hadn't worked that out."

The gun steadied in his hand and he prepared to shoot.

* * *

When Hurley arrived at the temple he took the cops into the courtyard where he found Ben, Walt and Harrison deep in conversation.

Ben looked up.

"So you found them Hugo, well done."

"Ben, you have to check the ash. One of the survivors here is a cop undercover who has been lowering our defences."

"Why on earth would a cop want to do that?"

"Because," Fernando broke in, "He has a history of mental health problems and- and we believe that perhaps something about this island is making him relapse."

"Ben, there is no time. Go. Now."

With a curt nod, Hurley's assistant sprinted off, ready to follow the circle of ash all around the ancient temple.

"Fernando, take your cops and go looking for Jason." Said Hugo.

"Have either of you seen John?" he then asked Walt and Harrison. Both shook their heads.

"Try his uncle." Harrison suggested, pointing to Ned Norwood who was passing by.

"Mr Norwood, do you know where your nephew is?"

"No, not a clue. He never tells anyone where he's going or what he's-"

"I'll need to go and find him. If the ash is broken it is far too likely we're too late and I have got to protect that boy in the event of an attack. Oh," he added at the last second, "and take this woman to the healing pool. She needs a new tongue." He thrust Annie into Ned's arms and ran off into the temple, asking the island again and again where the heck John had gotten to.

* * *

What happened next was a blur. Mark had found himself in a brawl with Jason and they were fighting for control of the gun. Finally Mark got his hands on it in such a way so that he had power over the aiming of the weapon and so he pointed it at the rogue cop, even as Jason's finger was still clutching hopelessly to the underside of the gun.

"My friends are going to hurt you." Jason said through a chortle.

"I haven't done anything wrong." Mark told him through gritted teeth.

"They won't know that."

Mark's grip on the gun meant it was locked in place so when Jason pulled the trigger, the bullet when straight through his own head.

Mark stepped back in disbelief as the shell hit the floor nearby. He watched redness ooze from Jason's eye and vaguely realised he'd been deafened by the gunshot.

When a whole team of cops turned up a moment later to find him standing over their dead friend, gun smoking he could think of nothing else to do but run in the opposite direction.

* * *

Ben scurried along around the edge of the temple following the line of ash with his eyes, and running parallel to it. He had never appreciated just how big the temple was until this moment: huge. It had been extended a little when they rebuilt it all that time ago but he could not remember a time he had ever journeyed the whole way around it at this pace.

Finally he found the break in the ash and he threw himself down to where it was. From his pocket he pulled a small pouch of Shephard dust. He fumbled it and suddenly he was frantically searching a bush of herbs for it. Then he felt a dark presence and looked up. A pillar of black smoke was crawling towards the gap. Ben stood up and moved backwards, watching with horror as Hurley's nemesis crossed into what had moments ago been a safe haven.

* * *

**So next chapter is an attack on the temple... hopefully it will be more exhilarating than the one in 'Sundown'. It's also, for the most part, already written. But I don't want to make the releases of chapters too uneven at the moment so you'll just have to wait a little longer. Thanks for reading :)**


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